Product Release Communication May, 2008
The Southern Ontario Land Resource Information System (SOLRIS) final data product (version 1.2) has been completed and released through Land Information Ontario.
The Purpose: SOLRIS is a landscape-level inventory of natural, rural and urban areas within Ecoregions 6E and 7E, based upon the Ecological Land Classification for Southern Ontario - a standardized approach for ecosystem description, inventory and interpretation. This inventory represents the landscape as it existed between 2000-2002. SOLRIS was designed as a regional scale mapping product (1:10 000 to 1:50 000) in order to satisfy landscape-scale planning initiatives such as Source Water Protection, Biodiversity Conservation, Landscape/Natural Heritage Systems planning and State of Resources Reporting.
The Process: The final release of SOLRIS version 1.2 represents the culmination of a data production process which began in 2004.
Spearheading this process was an intensive exercise of reconciling
updated base data layers (woodlands, identified wetland boundaries and built-up (settled) areas) – coordinated by Southern Science and Information and undertaken within the Southern Region Districts between 2004 and 2006.
The final phase of production involved the generation of the
classified SOLRIS land cover through a modelling exercise within the Inventory, Monitoring and Assessment Section (completed March 2008). The SOLRIS classification has undergone an evolution since the initial release of version 1.1 in November 2006 based on changing needs, available resources and new science and technology. Agricultural sub-classification, shallow water separation and orchard/vineyard mapping have not been integrated into version 1.2.
Agricultural classes, along with orchards and vineyards have
been replaced with an undifferentiated class while shallow water has been dispersed into open water and marsh classes.
The Support: Without the funding and in-kind contributions from partners, both internal and external, this project would not have been a success. SOLRIS production has involved significant contributions from over 70 staff within Southern Region Districts, Southern Science and Information Section, the Provincial Geomatics Service Centre and the Inventory, Monitoring and Assessment Section.
The dedication and expertise of those involved is evident in the quality of
the dataset.
The Recognition: The SOLRIS initiative has been well received, highlighted by the receipt of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) Recognition Award in 2006 for “Rising to the Challenge of the Environmental Bill of Rights”, along with receiving Certificates of Excellence in the Public Sector in 2005 and 2006.
The Next Steps: With the completion of version 1.2, a detailed assessment of classification accuracy is now being conducted.
Once finished, this assessment will provide insights into how to use SOLRIS land
cover data with respect to levels of confidence associated with each class.
The accuracy
assessment will also be made available through Land Information Ontario.
The existing SOLRIS data package will be updated with the accuracy assessment information so that users who are obtaining the land cover for the first time will receive this information.
Alternatively, a stand alone accuracy assessment data package will also be made available, to provide users with access to this information, without having to re-obtain the land cover product.
The Inventory, Monitoring and Assessment Section and Southern Science and Information are currently investigating the use of “change detection” technology as a possible solution to the maintenance of the SOLRIS data. This technology employs detection using low cost, medium resolution satellite imagery specifically designed to quickly and efficiently focus update activities only to those specific areas where change in fact has occurred.
Accessing the SOLRIS Land Cover Data: The SOLRIS land cover data is currently accessible through Land Information Ontario.
Ontario Geographic Data Exchange (OGDE) members can download this product through the Land Information Data Subscription Service (LIDS) as a packaged product.
Within the Ontario Public Service (OPS), SOLRIS is available through the LIO Imagery Web Mapping Service (WMS) and can be integrated into Web applications or directly into ESRI’s ArcGIS.
We are thankful for your interest in SOLRIS and look forward to your feedback as this data product is integrated into your planning initiatives.
For more information on SOLRIS, please contact: Technical Questions:
Availability and Applications:
Ian Smyth, Remote Sensing Specialist Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Inventory, Monitoring & Assessment Section 300 Water Street, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 8M5 Ian.smyth@ontario.ca
James McHattie, Info. Management Specialist Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Southern Science and Information Section 300 Water Street, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 8M5 James.mchattie@ontario.ca
Access and Distribution: Land Information Ontario lio@ontario.ca www.ontario.ca/lio