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LAND INFORMATION NETWORK FOR CANADA 
DOUGLAS O'BRIEN, TERRY FISHER, BERT GUINDON, RICHARD BOUDREAU 
Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, Surveys, Mapping and Remote Sensing Sector, 588 Booth Street, 
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0Y7 
FRANCOIS FAUCHER 
Canada Centre for Mapping, Surveys, Mapping and Remote Sensing Sector, 615 Booth Street, 
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0E9 
ABSTRACT 
The Surveys, Mapping and Remote Sensing Sector (SMRSS) of Natural Resources Canada maintains over 
a dozen databases of geomatics information. Currently these databases are maintained and accessed 
separately. The Land Information Network for Canada (LINC) involves the development of a Geomatics 
Information Infrastructure (GII) and an Information Management Framework (IMF) to provide product and 
service integration for these databases. 
The GII portion of LINC is the hardware and software that will fulfil client requirements for access to a fully 
integrated geomatics information system with built-in functionality for retrieving standard data products and 
generating custom products; increase effectiveness and efficiencies of geomatics information acquisition, 
management and dissemination, thereby reducing costs and duplication; enhance SMRSS's expertise in the 
field of geomatics data integration and dissemination and create a model for other organizations to consider 
in expanding this concept at a federal and national level; develop an industrial capability in geomatics 
infrastructure that can be exploited commercially in sales to domestic and foreign organizations requiring 
geomatics technology. The IMF provides a shell within which the GII works. This shell encompasses the 
policies, standards and planning required to implement LINC, as well as the business model and 
organizational structure needed to operate LINC. 
A contract will be signed with private industry in mid 1994 for the development of a baseline LINC. This 
baseline system will be a limited implementation intended to be immediately useful by providing access to 
a partial on-line meta-data catalogue of SMRSS products, and allowing consistent access to a small number 
of on-line databases as well as off-line ordering and delivery of several existing products, and will be 
extendable so as to serve as a base to develop a full implementation. This baseline system will be operational 
in mid 1996. 
KEY WORDS: Spatial Data, Information Infrastructure, Data Access 
1. INTRODUCTION component. Its structure and storage would be 
suitable for wide use by an extensive client base. 
In becoming more client driven, the Surveys, An important aspect of this approach is to be the 
Mapping and Remote Sensing Sector (SMRSS) in development of a fully digital system for handling 
1991/1992 conducted a survey and cost-benefit all land related information across the Sector. 
study to define its essential topographic data This would allow clients to readily locate and 
requirements. Present and potential clients and access important land related information. 
other levels of government were surveyed. Based 
on the findings, a recommendation was formulated SMRSS accepted the recommendation and 
to build and maintain a comprehensive digital launched a project in November 1992 under the 
georeferenced database in which the topographic name of Total Digital Platform (subsequently 
land base would be the most important renamed to the Land Information Network for 
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