Basemap updates for Canada — July 2018

July 26, 2018

Paul Heersink

There have been a few basemap updates this past month: six communities had their content updated on the raster topographic basemap, and two communities had their imagery basemaps updated.

Basemap Updates

The following communities were updated on the raster topographic basemap:

Chatham-Kent, ON
Gatineau, QC
Guelph, ON
Huron County, ON
Orangeville, ON
Rimouski, QC

Left: Orangeville, ON using only federal and provincial data. Right: Orangeville, ON with municipal data included.

The imagery basemap was also updated with some Canadian content. Strathcona County, AB provided 8 cm imagery from 2017 to replace the existing 10 cm imagery from 2015, and Beaupré, QC supplied 15 cm imagery from 2016 to replace the existing 15 cm imagery from 2012.

Changes in Strathcona County, AB are reflected in these two images. The one on the left was taken in 2015 while the one on the right was taken in 2017.

World Imagery Wayback App

If you’re feeling nostalgic for some older imagery that has since been updated, visit the World Imagery Wayback app online. There, you can view any of the 81 different versions of imagery that has been published on ArcGIS Online going back to early 2014. To narrow what’s available for the area you’re looking at, check the box that says “Only updates with local changes” in the left panel.

This will greatly reduce the number of imagery basemaps versions that appear in the panel. In this area of Brampton, for instance, five different versions appear. Any of these versions can be queried for more information or selected to add to a basemap.

The items then appear in the far, far left ArcGIS Online shopping cart. Once you’ve completed your selection, click on this icon to open up a map on ArcGIS Online containing the selected basemap. versions.