Enhanced Human Footprint Inventory (HFIe) for the Oil Sands Monitoring (OSM) Region, 2023

The Enhanced Human Footprint Inventory (HFIe) for the Oil Sands Monitoring (OSM) Region provides spatial information on human-induced land disturbances across the OSM watershed region of Alberta, representing conditions circa 2023. Developed by the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) in collaboration with the Alberta Human Footprint Monitoring Program (AHFMP) and OSM, the dataset integrates existing geospatial data, historical imagery, and SPOT6 satellite imagery to map anthropogenic disturbances. It contains 113 human footprint feature types organized into 20 sublayers, including roads, seismic lines, pipelines, well sites, mining areas, industrial facilities, timber harvesting, agriculture, and residential developments. The enhanced inventory provides additional attributes describing the year of disturbance origin, associated industrial sector, vegetation condition (NDVI), nighttime light radiance, anthropogenic noise, and exploration- versus production-related activities where applicable. The dataset supports land-use analysis, human footprint assessment, environmental monitoring, and evaluation of cumulative anthropogenic disturbances within the Oil Sands Region.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Alternate Title/Name
Creator Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI)
Contributor Alberta Human Footprint Monitoring Program
Publisher Alberta Environment and Protected Areas
Subject Human Footprint, Land Use, Land Cover, Anthropogenic Disturbance, Oil Sands Development, Forestry, Agriculture, Transportation, Industrial Development, Vegetation, Biodiversity, Environmental Monitoring, Cumulative Effects
Group/Subgroup Geospatial
Parameters Human Footprint Type, Human Footprint Area, Year of Origin, Disturbance Source, Industrial Sector, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Nighttime Light Radiance (VIIRS DNB), Anthropogenic Noise, Exploration and Production Classification, Human Footprint Feature ID
Data Type Discrete, Geospatial Vector Data (Polygons and Polylines), Remote Sensing Derived, Spatial Attributes
Frequency Annual Updates; 2023 Reference Year
Temporal Coverage Begins 2023-01-01
Temporal Coverage Ends 2023-12-31
Spatial Coverage Oil Sands Monitoring (OSM) Watershed Region, Northeastern Alberta, Canada, including the Athabasca, Peace River, and Cold Lake Oil Sands Areas.
Spatial Projection NAD 1983 10TM AEP Forest (EPSG:3400), Transverse Mercator Projection, NAD83 Datum, Metres.
Usage Considerations or Constraints The dataset is intended primarily for landscape-level assessment of human footprint and land-use disturbances. Human footprint features represent cumulative physical disturbances and do not account for vegetation succession or reclamation. Consequently, features undergoing natural or assisted vegetation recovery may still be classified as human footprint. The completeness and accuracy of features vary depending on the source data, imagery availability, and interpretation methods. Some narrow or low-impact seismic lines may be missing because of limited detectability in satellite imagery. Year-of-origin attributes are not available for all features, and users should consider attribute completeness and data-source accuracy when conducting temporal analyses. The dataset includes information derived from open, proprietary, and ABMI-created sources, each subject to specific use and redistribution conditions. Proprietary-source restrictions must be respected, and resale of applicable open or ABMI-created data requires prior written permission. Users should consult the accompanying ABMI metadata documentation for detailed methods, feature definitions, accuracy considerations, and usage restrictions.
Source/Citation Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute and Alberta Human Footprint Monitoring Program. (2026). ABMI Enhanced Human Footprint Inventory (HFIe) for the Oil Sands Region of Alberta 2023. Geodatabase. Last modified March 31, 2026.
Relation
Extent
Format .gdb
Resource Type Geodatabase
Language English
OSM Asset? Yes
Contact Email [email protected]