TechnicalGIS

LiDAR and elevation data for Canada

Partial open LiDAR Openly licensed LiDAR exists, but only for limited areas such as states, provinces, cities or project sites.

Natural Resources Canada’s CanElevation series publishes lidar point clouds and the 1–2 m High Resolution Digital Elevation Model (HRDEM) under the Open Government Licence – Canada; lidar coverage is concentrated in the south, satellite-derived DSMs cover the north, and complete coverage is still being established. Several provinces, notably British Columbia, Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, release their own lidar openly.

Best open resolution
1 m
Open LiDAR coverage
–
Datasets
10 · 10 open · 10 free
Region
North America
Last reviewed

By state, province or region

LiDAR status by subnational area in Canada
Area Status Summary Datasets
British Columbia Partial open LiDAR LidarBC releases provincial lidar point clouds and derived DEMs under the Open Government Licence – British Columbia. LidarBC Open LiDAR Data Portal , North Cowichan Ortho-Imagery, LiDAR, Contours
Ontario Partial open LiDAR Ontario publishes classified lidar point clouds and lidar-derived DTMs under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Ontario Classified Point Cloud (Lidar-Derived) , Ontario Digital Terrain Model (Lidar-Derived)
Québec Partial open LiDAR Québec publishes lidar point clouds and a 1 m DTM and canopy height model covering almost all of the south of the province under CC BY 4.0. Données lidar du Québec , Lidar – Modèles numériques (terrain, canopée, pente, courbe de niveau)
Nova Scotia Partial open LiDAR GeoNOVA’s DataLocator Elevation Explorer offers lidar point clouds and a 1 m DEM free of charge under an unrestricted data licence. Nova Scotia LiDAR Point Cloud and Elevation Dataset (DataLocator Elevation Explorer)
Prince Edward Island National open LiDAR The whole province was flown in 2020 at ≥6 points/m², with point clouds and a 1 m DTM distributed through NRCan. Prince Edward Island 2020 LiDAR
New Brunswick None known GeoNB’s lidar portal could not be checked (bot protection); colour 1 m orthophotos from 1996–2002 are published under the Open Government Licence – New Brunswick. –
Saskatchewan None known Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada publishes 20 cm flood-mapping orthophotos for selected areas. –

Datasets 10

Free is not the same as open. Cost is what you pay to get the data; the licence says what you may do with it. How cost and licence are defined

  • North Cowichan Ortho-Imagery, LiDAR, Contours (opens in a new tab)

    Municipality of North Cowichan

    Cost Free Licence Open
    • Orthophoto
    • Point cloud
    Resolution
    0.1 m
    Point density
    –
    Vertical accuracy
    –
    Acquired
    2017, 2019, 2022, 2024
    Coverage
    Municipality of North Cowichan, British Columbia; 10 cm orthoimagery and 12–15 points/m² lidar
    Licence
    Open Government Licence – Municipality of North Cowichan
    Access
    Direct download
    Formats
    –
    Link check
    Link OK (HTTP 200),

  • High Resolution Digital Elevation Model (HRDEM) – CanElevation Series (opens in a new tab)

    Natural Resources Canada

    Cost Free Licence Open
    • DTM
    • DSM
    Resolution
    1 m
    Point density
    –
    Vertical accuracy
    –
    Acquired
    –
    Coverage
    Lidar-derived 1 m or 2 m DTM/DSM south of the productive forest line; 2 m satellite-derived DSM in the north
    Licence
    Open Government Licence – Canada
    Access
    Direct download
    Formats
    GeoTIFF, COG, STAC
    Link check
    Link OK (HTTP 200),

  • Prince Edward Island 2020 LiDAR (opens in a new tab)

    Government of Prince Edward Island / Natural Resources Canada

    Cost Free Licence Open
    • Point cloud
    • DTM
    Resolution
    1 m
    Point density
    6 pts/m²
    Vertical accuracy
    –
    Acquired
    2020
    Coverage
    Entire province (about 5,846 km²), acquired 15 July–15 September 2020
    Licence
    Open Government Licence – Canada (via NRCan CanElevation)
    Access
    Direct download
    Formats
    LAZ, GeoTIFF
    Link check
    Link OK (HTTP 200),

  • Données lidar du Québec (opens in a new tab)

    Gouvernement du Québec (MRNF)

    Cost Free Licence Open
    • Point cloud
    Resolution
    –
    Point density
    –
    Vertical accuracy
    –
    Acquired
    –
    Coverage
    Classified point clouds where available, from provincial, federal and municipal collaborations
    Licence
    Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
    Access
    Direct download
    Formats
    LAZ
    Link check
    Link OK (HTTP 200),

  • LiDAR Point Clouds – CanElevation Series (opens in a new tab)

    Natural Resources Canada

    Cost Free Licence Open
    • Point cloud
    Resolution
    –
    Point density
    –
    Vertical accuracy
    –
    Acquired
    –
    Coverage
    Federal and partner lidar projects across Canada, distributed by project
    Licence
    Open Government Licence – Canada
    Access
    Direct download
    Formats
    LAZ, COPC
    Link check
    Link OK (HTTP 200),

  • LidarBC Open LiDAR Data Portal (opens in a new tab)

    GeoBC, Government of British Columbia

    Cost Free Licence Open
    • Point cloud
    • DTM
    Resolution
    –
    Point density
    –
    Vertical accuracy
    –
    Acquired
    –
    Coverage
    Provincial lidar collections from GeoBC, EMCR, BCTS, FAIB and NRCan
    Licence
    Open Government Licence – British Columbia
    Access
    Direct download
    Formats
    LAZ, GeoTIFF
    Link check
    Link OK (HTTP 200),

  • Ontario Classified Point Cloud (Lidar-Derived) (opens in a new tab)

    Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

    Cost Free Licence Open
    • Point cloud
    Resolution
    –
    Point density
    –
    Vertical accuracy
    –
    Acquired
    –
    Coverage
    Provincial lidar project areas
    Licence
    Open Government Licence – Ontario
    Access
    Direct download
    Formats
    LAZ
    Link check
    Link OK (HTTP 200),

  • Ontario Digital Terrain Model (Lidar-Derived) (opens in a new tab)

    Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

    Cost Free Licence Open
    • DTM
    Resolution
    –
    Point density
    –
    Vertical accuracy
    –
    Acquired
    –
    Coverage
    Provincial lidar project areas
    Licence
    Open Government Licence – Ontario
    Access
    Direct download
    Formats
    GeoTIFF
    Link check
    Link OK (HTTP 200),

Elsewhere in North America