—Michael Laitta, International Joint Commission of Canada and the United States
Responding to the absence of seamless transboundary hydrographic data, the International Joint Commission of Canada and the United States convened a binational taskforce comprised of Canadian and U.S. federal level natural resource agencies to address this lack of seamless datasets. The Transboundary Hydrographic Data Harmonization Taskforce (THDHTF) comprised of representatives from Environment Canada, U.S. Geologic Survey, Natural Resources Canada, Agriculture Canada and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency first convened in July 2008. The Taskforce identified two fundamental hydrographic datasets that if harmonized would create a shared geospatial foundation within which local, regional and federal agencies could share, study and archive data without the fault line of the international boundary. Coordination has proceeded to an unprecedented degree on two fronts—hydrography and drainage areas. The presentation will describe the coordination and technical requirements associated with the creation of transboundary harmonized hydrographic datasets with a focus on the development of a bi-national stewardship structure.