This sub-series consists of maps that were created in the Canadian Geographic Information System. The Prime Resource Lands Collection (Project 202-2102) was part of the Canada Lands Data System Division, Lands Directorate data holdings that were managed in the Canadian Geographic Information System (CGIS). This sub-series was an attempt to map consistent land use change and land capability over what is considered Canada's most important fruit growing areas. These include: the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, four separate fruit growing areas in southern Quebec, the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario and the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. The mapping provided a land use/land cover mapping of the selected areas on a 10-year cycle, beginning with the equivalent of the CLI land use in 1961, a subsequent update or re-mapping in 1971 and another in 1981. The Okanagan Valley was also re-mapped in 1976.
The Prime Resource Lands Collection contains four separate land use studies:
The Okanagan Valley multiple-year land use study . The study area boundary for the Okanagan Valley appears to be embedded in the original 1961 Land Use coverage (9216). In the CGIS archives, the Okanagan Valley Land Use was stored under three individual coverages: (9217) 1971 land use, (9218) 1976 land use and (9219) 1981 land use. Coverages include 8 map sheets at a scale of 1:50 000. The coverage (9222) Agriculture Land Reserves within the Prime Resource Lands is also included.
The Niagara Fruitlands multiple-year land use study. The study area boundary for the Niagara Fruitlands study is coverage (9275) and includes eleven separate sub-regions. In the CGIS archives, the Niagara Peninsula Land Use polygon data was stored with that of the Annapolis Valley Land Use studies in three individual coverages by land use year: (9276) 1961 land use, (9278) 1961-71 land use, (9279) 1971-81 land use. These coverages include 3 map sheets at a scale of 1:50 000.
The Quebec Fruitlands multiple-year land use study. The study area boundary for the four Quebec Fruitlands are separately defined under coverage (9275). In the CGIS archives, the Quebec Fruitlands Land Use polygon data was stored as three individual coverages by land use year: (9316) 1961 land use, (9314) 1981 land use (coverages include 11 map sheets at the 1:50,000) and (9315) for 1971 land use coverage (only 9 maps were digitized).
The Annapolis Valley Fruitlands multiple-year land use study. The study area boundary for the Annapolis Valley appears to be embedded in the original 1961 Land Use coverage (9276). In the CGIS archives, the Annapolis Valley Fruitland Land Use polygon data, excluding attributes, was stored as three individual coverages, by land use year, along with the same data for the Niagara Penninsula. The land use polygon data were recovered from the original tape coverage files: (9276) 1961 land use, (9278) 1961-71 land use and (9279) 1971-81 land use. For the Annapolis Valley, this includes four map sheets at a scale of 1:50 000.
This collection also consists of numerous overlay coverages. One should refer to the finding aid to determine the focus of these thematic coverages and the associated coverage codes.
