The Ontario Government is committed to acquiring and maintaining high resolution imagery for the entire province.
Data quality and acquisition refresh frequency will vary:
- Leaf-off aerial photography will be captured to 20 cm accuracy on a five-year cycle for southern Ontario and parts of the near north.
- Cloud-free satellite imagery will be acquired on a 10-year cycle covering the whole of the province and in specific areas as projects.
- Leaf-on aerial photography for the mid-north will be acquired by MNR as part of its Forest Resource Inventory program on a 10-year cycle.
Information Management plans, including public metadata records, will be created for all imagery products.
Land Information Ontario (LIO) will coordinate imagery acquisition projects including the development and management of partnerships, acquisition contracts, quality control processes and procedures, storage mechanisms and distribution to Ontario ministries.
The Ontario government will fund approximately 50 percent of the annual cost of imagery acquisition, subject to each year's specific partnership and contract arrangements.
Only organizations that contribute to the imagery acquisition program will be permitted access to the imagery data. Organizations that do not participate in an imagery acquisition partnership and would like access to those imagery products, including government ministries, will pay $50.00 per sq km to a maximum equal to that of the largest single ministry contribution
For any geographic area where new imagery covers the same area as older imagery, the older imagery will be made available in accordance with MNR pricing and distribution policies. Older imagery will be subject to an unrestricted use licence.
