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:
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:
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