Geospatial data and statistics

Geospatial resources

Interactive maps, boundary files and census profiles

The OSI provides interactive options for accessing geospatial data assets via GeoDiscover’s Map Viewer and our Alberta Statistics and Analysis Explorer. Additionally provided are administrative and census geographic boundaries, as well as census profiles accessible via web services.

The information is licensed under the Open Government License – Alberta. The datasets are available as zipped shapefile packages (SHP) or as geodatabases (.gdb). These downloads include standards based geospatial metadata in the North American Profile of ISO 19115.

Learn more about geospatial analysis for socio-economic data in our Story Map.

Statistics Canada statistical boundaries

Statistics Canada publishes new boundaries for statistical analysis every 5 years to support the national census. These boundaries leverage administrative, statistical and non-standard boundaries. Canadian federal and provincial/territorial statutes or agencies generally create administrative boundaries that are adopted by Statistics Canada for the purpose of data dissemination activities. Examples include provinces, territories, health regions and federal electoral districts. Statistics Canada creates statistically boundaries to support census and survey dissemination activities. Using rules based on geographic attributes and one or more characteristics of the resident population. Population centres, economic regions and dissemination areas are examples.

The Alberta coverage of these boundaries is packaged below into downloadable SHP files for use in geospatial analysis. Layers in each geodatabase include:

• Economic Regions (ER)
• Census Divisions (CD)
• Census Subdivisions (CSD)
• Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA)
• Census Agglomerations (CA)
• Census Tracts (CT)
• Dissemination Areas (DA)

Current

• Alberta Census Boundaries – Current

Historical

• Alberta Census Boundaries – Historical

Electoral Division Boundaries

Provincial Electoral Divisions are comprised of all the areas in Alberta established as electoral divisions under the Alberta Electoral Divisions Act, and reflects the legally valid boundaries for provincial general elections and for provincial by-elections.

These pages link to zipped shapefile packages (SHP):

• 2019 PED boundaries
• 2010 PED boundaries

Census profiles by Electoral Division and other boundaries

These datasets provide an overview of the current Statistics Canada census data organized by areas identified and with the goal of helping understand area characteristics like age, education level, language, and diversity to name a few.

These pages link to the map services available for this information:

• 2011 Census Profiles by Electoral Division
• 2016 Census Profiles by Electoral Division
• 2016 Census Profiles by Census Subdivision

Contact

General OSI enquiries

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-427-2071
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Fax: 780-426-3951
Email: [email protected]