Technical specifications
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
Record layouts and data descriptions
Software formats
System requirements
File extension and accented character information
Geographic representation
File naming convention
Record layouts and data descriptions
Agricultural ecumene mask file
The agricultural ecumene mask file contains polygons for each ecumene and non-ecumene pocket, which combined cover all of Canada.
Table 4.1 Agricultural ecumene mask file record layout
Census division generalized cartographic boundary file
The Census division generalized cartographic boundary file portrays the census division boundaries for which 2011 Census statistical data are disseminated. A census division is a unit of regional government (such as a county or regional district) or an area treated as equivalent for statistical purposes. A census division is usually made up of a number of adjacent census subdivisions (municipalities). The file contains the boundaries of all census divisions which combined cover all of Canada.
Table 4.2 Census division generalized cartographic boundary file record layout
Table 4.3 Census division types by province and territory, 2011 Census
Province and Territory generalized cartographic boundary file
The Province and Territory generalized cartographic boundary file portrays the boundaries of the 10 provinces and 3 territories for which 2011 Census statistical data are disseminated. Provinces and territories are the major political (legislated) areas of Canada. The file contains the boundaries of all provinces and territories which combined cover all of Canada.
Table 4.4 Province and territory generalized cartographic boundary file record layout
Hydrographic reference file
The supplementary hydrographic file is provided for the mapping of inland water. This file was created to be used as spatial reference in conjunction with the ecumene file to enable thematic mapping.
Table 4.5 Hydrographic reference file record layout
Attribute domain values
Table CDTYPE
| CDTYPE | CD description |
|---|---|
| CDR | Census division / Division de recensement |
| CT | County / Comté |
| CTY | County |
| DIS | District |
| DM | District municipality |
| MRC | Municipalité régionale de comté |
| RD | Regional district |
| REG | Region |
| RM | Regional municipality |
| TÉ | Territoire équivalent |
| TER | Territory / Territoire |
| UC | United counties |
File specifications
Not applicable
Software formats
The Agricultural Ecumene Boundary File is available for download from the Statistics Canada website in the following formats:
- ArcGIS® format
File extension: .shp - Geography Markup Language version 3.1.1
File extension: .gml - MapInfo® format
File extension: .tab
This reference guide does not provide details on specific software packages that are available for use with the Agricultural Ecumene Boundary File. Users are advised to contact the appropriate software vendor for information.
System requirements
Not applicable
File extension and accented character information
The ArcGIS® , Geography Markup Language and MapInfo® files are compressed into WinZip® files (file extension .zip).
An XML schema file (.xsd) is included to describe and validate the structure and content of the .gml files.
Some files within this product contain attributes with accented characters. They were successfully tested on desktop versions of ArcGIS® 9.3.1 and MapInfo® 11.0.1.
Geographic representation
The Agricultural Ecumene Boundary File is available on the Statistics Canada website in the following geographic representation:
- Datum: NAD83
- Coordinates: Longitude and Latitude
The North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) is an adjustment of the 1927 datum (NAD27) that reflects the higher accuracy of geodetic surveying.
The geographical coordinate system is the primary locational reference system for the Earth. This system provides for the unique statement of location for features such as points, lines and polygons.
Users of the Agricultural Ecumene Boundary File can transform the files into the representation that best satisfies their needs, knowing the effects these representations have on angles, areas, distances and direction. Users have the option to choose the best projection in concert with mapping objectives.
File naming convention
Spatial product file names follow a file naming convention. The 2011 Census standard geographic area and code, file type, geographic reference date, software type and language are embedded within the file name. Standardizing the names of the files facilitates the storage of compressed files, all having the extension .zip.
Each file name is 13 characters in length. All alphabetic characters are in lower case to maintain consistency.
First character: projection of file
- g projection is Geographic (latitude and longitude)
Next three characters: primary geographic level of file
- pr_ province and territory
- cd_ census division
- eca agricultural ecumene
- hy_ supporting hydrography (Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River and a selection of inland lakes)
Next three numbers: geographic code of coverage
- 000 Canada
Next character: file type
- e ecumene
Next two numbers: geographic reference date
The geographic reference date is a date determined by Statistics Canada for the purpose of finalizing the geographic framework for which 2011 Census statistical data are collected, tabulated and reported. For 2011 Census products, the geographic reference date is January 1, 2011.
- 11 geographic reference date is 2011
Next character: file format
- a ArcGIS® (.shp)
- g Geography Markup Language (.gml)
- m MapInfo® (.tab)
Final two characters: language
- _e English
- _f French
- Date modified: