At present, two different methods are used to produce ALR maps, depending on the Regional District. Under the Commission's original mapping system, base maps show the location of the ALR boundaries at a map scale of 1:50,000 or larger. Constituent maps (where available) show the ALR boundaries in greater detail, generally at a scale of 1:10,000. For nine Regional Districts, this mapping system is still maintained manually.

For the rest of the Regional Districts, digital GIS (Geographic Information Systems) data is used to produce the official ALR maps. Maps are at 1:20,000 scale. They are referenced to provincial standard TRIM digital data.

The Commission is currently converting to digital ALR maps for all Regional Districts. Refer to the Commission's web site (www.alc.gov.bc.ca/mapping/status) for the current status of ALR mapping by Regional District.

Refer to the Commission's web site for details on how to order maps. Digital ALR maps can also be viewed online.

Regional Districts maintained in TRIM-based, 1:20,000 maps

Alberni-Clayoquot TRIM-based ALR maps: 5	Fraser-Fort George TRIM-based ALR maps: 94
Bulkley-Nechako TRIM-based ALR maps: 114	Mount Waddington TRIM-based ALR maps: 6
Capital TRIM-based ALR maps: 21	Nanaimo TRIM-based ALR maps: 11
Cariboo TRIM-based ALR maps: 249	Northern Rockies TRIM-based ALR maps: 24
Central Coast TRIM-based ALR maps: 7	Peace River TRIM-based ALR maps: 220
Central Kootenay TRIM-based ALR maps: 63	Powell River TRIM-based ALR maps: 14
Comox-Strathcona TRIM-based ALR maps: 25	Skeena-Queen Charlotte TRIM-based ALR maps: 30
Cowichan Valley TRIM-based ALR maps: 13	Squamish-Lillooet TRIM-based ALR maps: 30
Kitimat-Stikine TRIM-based ALR maps: 62	Thompson-Nicola TRIM-based ALR maps: 180

Regional Districts maintained in 1:50,000 base maps and constituent maps:

Central Okanagan ALR Base maps: 5 Constituent maps: 33	Kootenay-Boundary ALR Base maps: 9 Constituent maps: 25
Columbia Shuswap ALR Base maps: 22 Constituent maps: 39	North Okanagan ALR Base maps: 11 Constituent maps: 41
East Kootenay ALR Base maps: 17 Constituent maps: 15	Okanagan-Similkameen ALR Base maps: 18 Constituent maps: 44
Fraser Valley ALR Base maps: 10 Constituent maps: 43	Sunshine Coast ALR Base maps: 3 Constituent maps: 1
Greater Vancouver ALR Base maps: 5 Constituent maps: 47

GIS Data

The ALR boundaries for the province have been digitized into GIS (Geographic Information Systems) format, rectifying the existing ALR boundaries to provincial standard geo-referenced digital data:

TRIM for planimetric base features such as water bodies, roads, etc; and
Crown Land Registry Services parcel-based data, Cadastral Data Management System (CDMS) or large scale cadastral from the Integrated Cadastral Information Society (ICIS).

Each ALR boundary segment carries attributes to describe what the boundary aligns with. This includes the type of feature the boundary follows (e.g. property boundary, river) and the data source that feature was captured from. The digital ALR layer is not aligned to the most current property boundary data in some areas. If there is any doubt as to the location of a property relative to the ALR, consult the official ALR map.

Some of the GIS data is provisional and is not considered the official representation of the ALR boundary. See Status of ALR Mapping for a list of areas which still have their official ALR maps produced manually, and which have them produced by GIS.

If you have GIS capability you can download a shapefile of the ALR boundary here: (ftp://slkftp.env.gov.bc.ca/alc/outgoing)

Conversion of the ALR boundaries to GIS format has created a better tool to calculate the ALR area. The initial calculation of the ALR area at designation was done from maps at the 1:50,000 scale using the dot matrix and planimeter methods. There are a couple of factors that may have affected the accuracy of calculating the ALR using these methods. Firstly, the thickness of the ALR line on the maps may have obscured dots that fell on the boundary. Secondly, no provision was made to exclude water bodies (lakes and rivers) if they fell within an ALR boundary. The margin of error for these methods is unknown.

While the Commission has not adopted the GIS data method of reporting the ALR area, it intends to do so in the near future.

Agricultural Land Commission :: 133-4940 Canada Way Burnaby, BC V5G 4K6 :: www.alc.gov.bc.ca::