Issue link: https://resources.esri.ca/i/778176
>> By Esri Canada & Martin Newby Consulting Ltd. lberta, Canada has a long history of providing reliable, accurate and high-quality digital mapping data that has been achieved through the province's commitment to an advanced cadastral mapping system. Since its inception more than 20 years ago, the system has flour- ished, leading to the creation of many new datasets and products that promote the efficient delivery of government services. Alberta's forward-thinking approach to cadastral mapping was born out of the same challenges that are faced by many provinces across the country—the survey information fabric used to be manually updated and stored in antiquated filing systems—often in paper or hard copy. Land titles could sometimes be inconsistent with parcel mapping and the process of updating data lacked efficiency; updates to the map repre- sentations and base datasets could often take anywhere from 3 to 8 months from the time changes were submitted. These inconsistencies led to high costs and did not provide a solid basis for strategic planning. As a result, the province recognized a clear need for a spatially-referenced cadastral fabric that could be updated and managed through stream- lined, automated processes. Building a Robust, Spatially-Referenced Cadastral Fabric The Government of Alberta established an independent and entrepreneurial entity to manage the provincial mapping data. Spatial Data Warehouse (SDW) is a not-for-profit corporation that's the first of its kind in Canada; its core purpose is to maintain and promote the broadest possible distribution of provincial digital mapping to meet the immediate needs of the Alberta marketplace, while preserving the mapping system over the long term. SDW works to reduce redundant data collection and maintenance, promote regulatory requirements Advanced Cadastral Mapping Blazing the Trail for Technology merges with innovation to create a unique digital mapping infrastructure in the province of Alberta The user is able to view their plan relative to the complete and current cadastral fabric for Alberta. This visual map component enables the user to readily identify plan anomalies or conflicts prior to submission. Displayed with permission • The American Surveyor • Vol. 9 No. 4 • Copyright 2012 Cheves Media • www.Amerisurv.com