Looking for bathymetric (underwater elevation/depth) data? Go to our Bathymetry Data page.

Elevation data generally comes in two formats: contour lines or digital elevation models (DEMs). Contour lines are the elevation lines you often see on topographic maps and they are generally measured in feet or metres above sea level. DEMs are raster datasets that have pixels like a digital image, except that each pixel contains an elevation value for the land area (e.g. 900m² in a DEM with a 30m resolution) that the pixel covers. It is possible to create DEMs from contours and contours from DEMs using GIS software. 

Below is a list of elevation datasets by geography, beginning with Ottawa-Gatineau and moving up to the entire world. Those available only to Carleton students, faculty, and staff are marked with a Carleton logo. All others are freely available to anyone.

Elevation data for Ottawa-Gatineau | Ontario | Canada | United States of America | International

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Ottawa-Gatineau

Contours

• Ottawa 1:2,000 Scale Topographic Data contours 
• Ottawa 1:25,000 Scale Topographic Data contours 

DEMs, LiDAR, or surface models

• Ottawa 3D surface (part of the Ottawa 3D Buildings data package) 
• Ottawa LiDAR-derived Digital Elevation Model - 1m resolution 
  • By request only: please email gis@carleton.ca from your Carleton email account
• Ottawa-Gatineau Digital Elevation Models - 25cm resolution 
• Ottawa-Gatineau LiDAR 
• Carleton University LiDAR tiles
• See the High Resolution Digital Elevation Model (HRDEM) - CanElevation Series under Canada, below

Ontario

Contours

• Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources contours - 5m resolution for southern Ontario, 10m for near northern Ontario 
• Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources contours for free from Land Information Ontario (LIO) - 5m sourthern Ontario, 10m near northern Ontario
  • ​You may want to consult LIO's EcoRegions as the contours are clipped to each region

DEMs

• Provincial Digital Elevation Model Version 3.0 - 30m resolution 
• Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources spot height 
• Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Digital Terrain Models for cities and counties in southern Ontario 
• City of Toronto Digital Terrain Model (DTM)

Canada

Contours

• Download some DEMs (below) and then follow our step-by-step guide on making contours using Global Mapper on the library's GIS computers
• Provincial and territorial datasets:
  • Alberta: 1:20,000 topographic dataset contains contours.
  • Manitoba - 1:20,000; requires free registration; part of Topographic Maps dataset and contours also found in LiDAR subsection
  • Prince Edward Island - 2m contours; dataset found near bottom of list on linked page

DEMs & LiDAR

• Canadian Digital Elevation Model (CDEM) - 1:50,000 / 30m resolution and 1:250,000, and Canadian Digital Surface Model Mosaic (CDSM), 20m resolution
  • Easiest way to download the CDEM tiles or CDSM tiles across Canada:
    • use the GeoGratis Geospatial Data Extraction tool
    • in the search box at the top, type in your location (town, province, etc.)
    • select the appropriate location from the resulting pop-up window and click Display
    • in Step 2 create a custom clipping area or predefined clipping area if the zoom level is unsuitable
    • in Step 3 select Surface model (CDSM) or Elevation model (CDEM)
    • in Step 4 choose an output format
    • submit your request in Step 5 after filling in your email address
    • wait for the email with a download link (it doesn't usually take very long)
    • **GeoGratis occasionally changes workflows without warning, so if this workflow doesn't work please let us know!
  • You can generate contours from this data using Global Mapper and our help guide
• High Resolution Digital Elevation Model (HRDEM) - CanElevation Series - 2m resolution (south) / 5m (north of forest line)
  • Includes digital terrain model (DTM) and digital surface model (DSM) generated from LiDAR data
  • Only some areas of Canada are covered (Gatineau; southern Manitoba; areas of Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, etc.)
  • We recommend downloading the KMZ (Google Earth) file which makes it easiest to both view available areas and download the desired tiles
• DMTI Clutter and and Digital Elevation Models - 30m and 90m resolution / 1:50,000 and 1:250,000
• Provincial and territorial datasets:
  • Alberta - 1:20,000 by town, county, NTS grid number, or Alberta Township System location
    • Conversion tools for Alberta Township System (from latitude-longitude, etc.)
  • Manitoba - 1:20,000; requires free registration
  • New Brunswick - 70m interval between points; digital terrain model
  • Nova Scotia - 20m resolution; make sure to read the downloading instructions
  • Yukon - 30m and 90m resolutions
• For LiDAR, Free & Open LiDAR Data Sources in Canada is a good starting point
• Want DEMs for all of Canada? The Commission for Environmental Cooperation has a 1km Elevation dataset that's seamsless for all of North America

United States of America

Contours

• Download some DEMs (below) and then follow our step-by-step guide on making contours using Global Mapper on the library's GIS computers

DEMs

• The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has a list of elevation products available for download, including:
  • National Elevation Dataset (10m, 30m, and some areas 3m) via the National Map Viewer and they may also have LiDAR point clouds available for your area
• Commission for Environmental Cooperation's Elevation 2007 - 1km resolution
  • Seamless for North America and comes in one download

International

Contours

• Look at open data site(s) for your location
  • Some will have contours and some will not, but it's worthwhile to check
  • For example, OS Open Data has 10m contours for the United Kingdom
• Download some DEMs (below) and then follow our step-by-step guide on making contours using Global Mapper on the library's GIS computers

DEMs

• ASTER GDEM - 30m resolution​
  • ​​Step 1 in this help guide takes you through selecting the tile(s) you need; requires free sign-up to download
• ArcticDEM - 2m to 5m resolution
  • Will eventually "encompass all land area north of 60° north latitude" but as of October 2016 includes Alaska and parts of Russia
• Commission for Environmental Cooperation's Elevation 2007 - 1km resolution
  • Seamless for North America and comes in one download
• Global Land Survey Digital Elevation Model (GLSDEM) - 90m resolution
  • Can also access via Global Data Explorer; requires free sign-up to download
• Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) - 90m & 1km resolution