Ministry of Environment Ecology

Data Access

EcoCat: Ecosystems Report Catalogue (formerly AquaCat)

Most Ecosystem Mapping and Wildlife Interpretations project data can be found here.

Using EcoCat to find Terrestrial Information:

• Under the first heading, "Report Type" choose "Terrestrial Information" from the drop-down list.
• Scroll down the page to "Terrestrial Information" and choose TEM, PEM, SEI or WHR (or another subject area of interest) from the drop-down list.
• Click on the “Search” button at the bottom of the page.

Note: you may further refine your search by selecting other criteria such as Region, Biogeoclimatic Zone, Species or by using the Keyword Search (try map sheet number; geographic location, etc).
The level of catalogue detail varies between projects. Tip: start general, then refine your search as required.

FTP sites

Interim ftp sites have been set up to hold TEM, PEM, WHR and SEI projects that have not yet been entered into Ecocat. Note:

• WHR data is located in the wildlife folder of each TEM and PEM project folders.
• SEI data is located in its related TEM project folder.
• Individual mapping projects are stored under regional directories on each ftp site.

Government Users

Most BC Government Technical/GIS users have access to the spatial databases internally through the MSRM Arc Warehouse and soon through the Land Resource Data Warehouse (LRDW).

About the Data

Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping and Predictive Ecosystem Mapping Data

The types of data that may be posted for TEM and PEM are described in the TEM and PEM technical standards and are listed below.

• Project Metadata (mappers, completion date, etc.)
• Non-Spatial Polygon Attributes
• TEM Map Legends
• Expanded Legends
• Final Reports
• PEM Knowledge base documentation
• Quality Assurance Reports
• Accuracy Assessment Reports
• Field Inventory Plot Data (full, ground, and visual inspection plots)
• Wildlife Species Accounts
• Wildlife Rating Tables
• Spatial Data (Arc/Info *.E00 Export Files)

The provincial TEM and PEM index maps show the boundaries for all the TEM and PEM projects that have been initiated. Data may not yet be available for all projects shown.

Wildlife Habitat Ratings Data

Proviso: All project rating tables and species accounts on the FTP site are in draft form.

Project ratings tables have been reviewed to ensure they follow the standard formats and codes stipulated in BC Wildlife Habitat Rating Standards (RIC[now RISC]1999) and BC Wildlife Habitat Rating Technical Standards (RIC 2000).

The actual values of the ratings have not been correlated or reviewed in detail.

There has been no correlation at this time to resolve issues such as, for example, whether or not the same ecosystems in two different projects have been rated consistently.

Users of these ratings tables should contact the regional wildlife biologist or wildlife habitat inventory specialist if they have any questions about appropriate applications of project wildlife habitat ratings data.

Always include all the relevant species accounts in a project when downloading and distributing the project ratings tables. Ratings tables and resultant habitat capability and suitability maps are of limited value without the rationale for ratings documented in the species accounts.

If you would like a listing of the example provincial-level species accounts by region click here.