The following sources provide spatial data free of charge. These are the best places to start your search.

Calgary Region

Alberta

Canada

International

There is a wealth of data on ArcGIS Online. Keep in mind:

• Data provided by Esri is usually of good quality
• If the data comes from another user, try to find out the source of their data so you can confirm its quality
• You can't always save the data.

The following sources are available through MRU subscriptions and agreements:

DMTI data includes road and rail networks, digital elevation models, parks, water, clutter data and other files.  

Some City of Calgary data files are available freely to MRU students but are not listed in the open data catalogue. Unfortunately, there is no list of available datasets. If you need assistance to obtain City of Calgary files, contact Brian Jackson. Some examples of available files include:

• Orthoimages of Calgary and surrounding area
• Orthoimages of the 2013 flood
• Digital aerial survey files
• C-train lines
• On-road bicycle routes
• Traffic volume

Some Statistics Canada cartographic and digital boundary files are available only upon request. For recent census years, though, most files are available freely. If you can't find the file you need, contact Brian Jackson.

Digital elevation models come in a variety of formats, depending on the service from which they were obtained. Use these guides to help you use DEMs.

Carleton University - DEM Formats

University of Waterloo - Working with DMTI DEMs