Land Information Ontario

Overview

Land Information Ontario (LIO) helps public and private organizations and individuals find, access and share geographic data. LIO also coordinates the collection of aerial photography for Ontario. Geographic information distributed by LIO includes information on Ontario’s:

• roads, railways and trails
• lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands
• elevation
• official names and boundaries
• management and classification information

How to find and access data

Find Ontario’s authoritative geospatial data using Ontario GeoHub. Ontario GeoHub provides descriptive information about the characteristics, quality and context of the data. Ontario GeoHub has options to download the data or use a web service in geospatial software.

Search the full catalogue using the Find Data search tool, or browse the available topics. Filter by tags or search for a specific tag. Once you have selected a data product, you can:

• read the description or view all metadata
• view geometry and attribute information in the interactive map
• download the data
• connect to a web service

Display the data in table format to view and filter information.

With the interactive map, you can:

• pan and zoom
• click on features and view attribute information
• download a subset of the data

Sharing data

Who can share data

Public organizations can easily share data with other organizations by becoming a member of the Ontario Geospatial Data Exchange. The Ontario Geospatial Data Exchange allows organizations to share geographic data about Ontario through a single agreement administered by LIO.

There is no cost associated with joining.

You can apply to join the Ontario Geospatial Data Exchange if you are a member of a:

• municipal, provincial or federal government
• Indigenous community
• conservation authority
• public health unit
• non-profit organization
• college or university
• public utility

Contact us to learn how to join the Ontario Geospatial Data Exchange.

Ontario Imagery

Aerial photography of the earth’s surface is known as imagery. LIO's Ontario Imagery Program ensures a long-term, affordable approach for public and private sector organizations to capture and maintain high-resolution imagery. This imagery is georeferenced and is at uniform scale (orthorectified). The result is an orthophotograph that can be used to accurately map visible features.

Ontario's Imagery Program provides:

• leaf-off, high-resolution aerial photography on a five-year cycle for southern Ontario and parts of the near north
• cloud-free satellite imagery for the province, including the Far North
• web mapping services providing instant access to seamless provincial imagery

Remote sensing programs managed by the ministry include:

• leaf off high-resolution elevation data such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) managed by the Provincial Mapping Unit
• leaf-on aerial photography and LiDAR acquisitions for areas of the mid-north captured on a ten-year cycle as part of the Forest Resources Inventory program

Become a partner

LIO coordinates access to imagery data by managing partnerships and acquisition contracts.

LIO Imagery acquires new imagery annually, capturing the densely populates areas of the province over a five-year cycle. Organizations are invited to participate in these cost-shared acquestions.

Program participants gain access to high quality, current, geographically referenced imagery data for:

• mapping
• asset management
• land use planning
• emergency management

To find out more about the Ontario Imagery partnership, email imagery@ontario.ca for a detailed information package.

Access to imagery

Imagery data can be accessed through internet-based web map services or through ordering directly from LIO. Information about the collection, including access and ordering imagery, can be found on Ontario GeoHub.

LIO imagery acquisition schedule 2023 – 2027

For information regarding the specific area of acquisition, status and expected data availability for each acquisition year visit the Ontario Imagery Program page on Ontario GeoHub.