City of Calgary LiDAR Bathymetric Mapping Program

Capturing 34 km² of Riverbed and River Adjacent Areas along The Bow and Elbow rivers within Calgary 

High-resolution LiDAR supporting  flood modelling, erosion monitoring and infrastructure planning.  

Project Summary

OGL Engineering collaborated on two LiDAR acquisitions in 2020 and 2025 to deliver classified bathymetric LiDAR datasets covering approximately 34 km² along the Bow and Elbow Rivers within Calgary.

This work supports the ongoing modernization of the City’s geospatial infrastructure by providing accurate, up-to-date spatial data aligned with existing municipal data enabling operational use across diverse municipal departments.

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Problem / Objective

The City of Calgary required high-resolution topo-bathymetric LiDAR to update legacy datasets and accurately model the evolving morphology of its two primary waterways.

Deliverables included topo-bathymetric bare earth digital elevation models (DEMs), intensity imagery, and fully classified LiDAR point clouds.

These datasets support advanced applications such as volumetric analysis, flood inundation modelling, submerged object detection, and change detection.

Approach

OGL Engineering supported a LiDAR acquisition program designed to meet municipal standards for accuracy, consistency, and interoperability.

Leveraging advanced remote sensing techniques and GIS-based processing workflows, we collaborated to produced high-density bathymetric datasets optimized for spatial analysis, 3D modelling, and seamless GIS integration.

All deliverables were validated to align with the City’s coordinate systems, data schemas, and previously collected datasets.

Outcome / Lessons Learned

The program delivered a comprehensive, current geospatial baseline of Calgary’s major waterways, supporting critical initiatives such as flood risk analysis, emergency response planning, infrastructure design, and public data access.

These datasets enhance the City’s ability to perform precise volumetric and spatial analysis, monitor riverbed and riverbank change, and maintain a reliable foundation for data-driven decision-making.

Through this work, OGL refined large-scale data processing workflows and strengthened methodologies for delivering consistent, high-accuracy results that contribute to the long-term sustainability of the City of Calgary’s mapping program.