FINAL REPORT - International Joint Commission

I. Common Data Needs Technical Work Group Summary
Data Collection Prioritization
ANNEX 2
An extensive analysis was conducted early in the Study to evaluate the utility of existing data, including
information on landforms (elevation), land cover classifications and photographic/imagery, for all nearshore
wetlands and erodable and flood prone areas. This prioritization effort was based on anticipated needs of
other technical work groups in terms of numeric modeling and impact analyses.
The shoreline of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River was segmented into shore units based on
consistent geomorphic or hydraulic characteristics. Each shore unit was evaluated in terms of existing
conditions (e.g., shore type, substrate, structural protection, adjacent and projected land uses), sensitivity
to water level fluctuations, economic damages expected due to hazards, existing geospatial data, and needs
for additional data collection. These evaluations were ranked based up degree of risk and anticipated need
for new data collection. Figures I-1 and I-2 showcase the results of this analysis for the Lake Ontario and
St. Lawrence River shorelines, respectively. As a function of this analysis, priority assignments were made
for airborne topographic and bathymetric LIDAR collection for elevation data and for image collection
(e.g. aerial photography or satellite imagery) (Figures I-1 and I-2).
Prioritization of Lake Ontario Shore Units
Legend for Ranking
Bathymetry - 1st Priority
Bathymetry - 2nd Priority
R2
Topography - 1st Priority
Topography - 2nd Priority
Imagery - 1st Priority
Imagery - 2nd Priority
Bathymetric LIDAR reconnaissance
summer, 2001
CND12
R1
Bathymetric LIDAR - summer, 2001
CND11
CND7
CND8
CND10
US8
CND6
CND5
CND9
US7
CND4
Lake Ontario
US5 US6
CND2
US4
Topographic LIDAR - spring, 2001
Bathymetric LIDAR - summer, 2001
CND3
CND1
Bathymetric LIDAR - summer, 2001
US1
US2
US3
Topographic LIDAR - spring, 2001
Bathymetric LIDAR - summer, 2001
Topographic LIDAR - spring, 2001
Bathymetric LIDAR - summer, 2001
Figure I-1: Lake Ontario shoreline data collection prioritization
Options for Managing Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River Water Levels and Flows
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