Site plan resources for Ottawa

You're in luck! We have many resources that will help you make your site plan. If you want to use ArcGIS Pro instead of ArcMap, this guide may be helpful.

1. Data

​ Aerial images

Download aerial images for Ottawa from 1928-2019. The most recent orthophotos are the City of Ottawa 2019 orthophotos but there is imagery back to 1928.

You can preview (but not download) the City of Ottawa images in our collection at the GeoOttawa website using the Aerial Photos Slider button.

Roads, building footprints, sidewalks, etc.

The Ottawa 1:1000 topographic dataset (2011-2015) includes streets, street names, building footprints, sidewalks, driveways, and more. You can download the data in DWG format by grid square via the interactive map.

If you want a simple road dataset with street names, we suggest the Road Centrelines dataset from Open Data Ottawa.

Have a look at this list of Ottawa layers in CAD and shapefile formats that includes free and open datasets.

Pro tip! Put all your data into one project folder. This will make things easier for you when you're making your site plan.

2. I have the data, but how do I make a site plan in ArcMap?

If it's your first time using ArcMap or ArcGIS products read ArcGIS FAQ and Shapefiles Help Guide because they will save you some agony later on, we promise.

Access ArcMap

  1. We have GIS software available at the library, all with ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Pro, and other GIS software installed.
  2. Get your own copy of ArcGIS Student Edition or ArcGIS Pro - for free! It's PC-only so if you have a Mac, you'll need to run BootCamp or Parallels.

Building the site plan in ArcMap

The University of Toronto Mississauga has created brief but very good videos that will help get you started.

  1. A Basic Introduction to ArcMap 10 - adding data, putting layers in order, etc.
  2. How to Label Features in ArcMap 10
  3. How to Make a Layout in ArcMap 10 - set your page size, add legends and titles, exporting, etc.

3. I still need some help!

That's what we're here for! Email us with your question(s).

Content last reviewed: