EcoSpark’s Data Catalogue
Dashboard Layer Information
Benthic Aggregate Assessment Rating (BAA)
The following layer displays the second most commonly used index for assessing stream health using BMIs; the Benthic Aggregate Assessment. BAA is a value calculated using 10 different specific benthic indices (% diptera, % worms, etc.). If five or more indices were calculated outside the limits of the impaired criteria, the site condition is reported as “Potentially Impaired”. If four or less indices were shown to be outside the limits of the unimpaired criteria the site is declared “Unimpaired”.
Mapping source: Changing Currents HBI Rated sites as of Fall 2019
Changing Currents Sampling Sites (2000-2020)
The following layer displays the scientific data collected from EcoSpark’s flagship Changing Currents program. Since 2000, EcoSpark has monitored and collected data from over 270 water quality monitoring sites within over 30 watersheds throughout the Greater Toronto Area. This data is the result of students, teachers, volunteers and EcoSpark staff monitoring Benthic Macro-Invertebrates (BMIs) in streams and rivers across Southern Ontario according to a standardized protocol.
Mapping source: Changing Currents Monitoring Sampling Site List as of Fall 2019
Conservation Authority Administrative Area
The Conservation Authority Administrative Area is a featured layer from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
Mapping source: https://ws.lioservices.lrc.gov.on.ca/arcgis1071a/rest/services/LIO_OPEN_DATA/LIO_Open03/MapServer/11
Greenbelt Outer Boundary
The Greenbelt Outer Boundary layer (2018) is a featured layer sourced from Land Information Ontario through ArcGIS online available layers.
Mapping source: https://ws.lioservices.lrc.gov.on.ca/arcgis1071a/rest/services/LIO_OPEN_DATA/LIO_Open06/MapServer/17
Additional Information: The outer boundary of the Greenbelt Area, as defined by Ontario Regulation 59/05 as amended, which includes lands within the Niagara Escarpment Plan Area, the Oak Ridges Moraine Area, and lands designated as Protected Countryside, and Urban River Valley, by this Plan.
Hilsenhoff Biotic Index Rating (HBI)
The following layer displays the most commonly used index for assessing stream health using BMIs; the Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI). HBI is a value calculated using both the number of each type of BMI found, as well as its tolerance level to pollution. An HBI rating can range from 1-8, with the water quality rating growing more impaiired with a higher value.
Mapping source: Changing Currents HBI Rated sites as of Fall 2019
Lower Tier Municipalities (GTA)
The layer was created by EcoSpark with data available from Open Data Ontario.
Mapping source: https://services6.arcgis.com/vC6jP6aqt9J3ax96/arcgis/rest/services/Lower_Tier_GTA/FeatureServer
Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM)
The Oak Ridges Moraine layer (2018) is a featured layer sourced from Land Information Ontario through ArcGIS online available layers.
Mapping source: https://ws.lioservices.lrc.gov.on.ca/arcgis1071a/rest/services/LIO_OPEN_DATA/LIO_Open06/MapServer/28
Additional Information: This dataset was created to provide land use information on the Oak Ridges Moraine and is the basis for Ontario Regulation 140/02. The data was digitized at 1:10,000 or better using 0.5 metre air photos, MNR, DMTI, Upper and Lower-tier Official Plans and digital vector layers.
Ontario Schools
The following layer displays all the public funded and private schools in Ontario by either city, county or district. This layer was created using the available dataset sourced from the Ontario Data Catalogue
Mapping source: https://data.ontario.ca/dataset/ontario-public-school-contact-information
Participant Schools
This layer was created using the registration information compiled by EcoSpark from schools that have participated in the Changing Currents program from 2000-2020.
Mapping source: https://services6.arcgis.com/vC6jP6aqt9J3ax96/arcgis/rest/services/CC_Schools/FeatureServer
Upper Tier Municipalities
The layer was created by EcoSpark with data available from Open Data Ontario.
Mapping source: https://services6.arcgis.com/vC6jP6aqt9J3ax96/arcgis/rest/services/Upper_Tier_Clip/FeatureServer
Watershed, Quaternary
The watersheds layer is a featured layer sourced from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (2019).
Mapping Source: https://ws.lioservices.lrc.gov.on.ca/arcgis1071a/rest/services/LIO_OPEN_DATA/LIO_Open04/MapServer/1
Additional Information:
A watershed, also known as a catchment basin, includes all of the land that is drained by a watercourse and its tributaries.
Watersheds are split into 4 categories:
primary
secondary
tertiary
quaternary
Quaternary watersheds are subdivisions of tertiary watersheds.
These divisions are based on the federal framework originally known as the Water Resources Index Inventory Filing System.