GIS & Spatial Data: Canada Data

Resources from DMTI Spatial and available to U of Lethbridge students and faculty. A geodatabase (V.2023.3) is available from the on-campus GIS Labs in the C700 block of U Hall.

Request the following DMTI resources. email: data.library@uleth.ca
File type: Shapefile; MapInfo

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

The DLI (Data Liberation Initiative) provides access to the  Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF) and Postal Code Conversion File Plus (PCCF+). It provides a correspondence between the Canada Post Corporation six character postal code and Statistics Canada’s standard geographical areas -- e.g., dissemination areas, census tracts, and census subdivisions. Statistics Canada Product Reference Guide (PCCF) available.

• The PCCF uses an SLI or ‘Single Link Indicator’ for matching. The single link indicator identifies the geographic area with the majority of dwellings assigned to a particular Postal Code.

• The PCCF+ uses population-weighted random allocation for Postal Codes that link to more than one geographic area.

USING THE PCCF:

• Queen's University Library has created a guide to the Postal Code Conversion File (PCCF).
• U. of Toronto's Map & Data Library has created a PCCF Guide.

USING THE PCCF+:

• A YouTube video produced by Queen's University describes How to use Statistics Canada's Postal Code Conversion File Plus (PCCF+) and SAS to connect your Postal Codes to Census geography.
• U. of Toronto's Map & Data Library has created a PCCF+ Guide.

Request by email: data.library@uleth.ca [Restricted License Students & Faculty]

The DLI (Data Liberation Initiative) provides access to the Postal Codes by Federal Ridings (2013 Representation Order) File (PCFRF) which reflects postal code data from the Canada Post Corporation up to and including November 2014, and the new, legal Federal Ridings (2013 Representation Order). A reference guide has been produced for this product.

Request by email: data.library@uleth.ca [Restricted License Students & Faculty]

The DLI (Data Liberation Initiative) Data Collection contains geography files from 1971-current. This collection consists of some reference maps, thematic maps, digital and cartographic boundary files, reference tools among other products (File type: Shapefile). This collection can be accessed in the following ways:

• Boundary Files - Census Program Geography [Free Access]
• GeoSearch - interactive mapping of census data [Free Access]

There are two types of boundary files: cartographic and digital. Cartographic boundary files portray the geographic areas using only the major land mass of Canada and its coastal islands. Digital boundary files portray the full extent of the geographic areas, including the coastal water area.