This project was undertaken for Alberta Tourism by a multi-disciplinary team within the Alberta Research Council to evaluate potential tourism development for the Dinosaur Corridor - Drumheller area. The study area, which extends along the Red Deer River Valley and includes a 0.5 mile adjacent upland buffer, comprises a total area of 47,093 ha (471 sq. km).

Alberta Tourism required that the project include the consideration of physical land conditions that might limit tourism development and that the assembled map information and its evaluation (modelling) incorporate the use of a geographic information system. Having the information in a digital form, provides planning staff with a greater flexibility for information display, querying, reporting and spatial analysis.

All relevant land information for the study area was acquired, prepared, and entered into a geographic information system through the import of digital base map files, the digitization of various point, line and polygon themes and the creation of associated attribute data bases (tables).

The interpretive models developed for the project were based solely on potential limitations to tourism development imposed by limiting physical land conditions using primarily existing data sources together with some supplementary air photo- interpretation. Potential tourism development was assessed in terms of the following activities:

  • resort development, residences and cottages (i.e. permanent buildings with basements and permanent buildings without basements)
  • recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds (i.e. primitive campground development and fully serviced campground development)
  • golf course development and maintenance
  • recreational trails (i.e. non-motorized trail development and motorized trail development)
  • picnic area development
  • playing field development

Two related interpretive models were also prepared for:

  • septic tank adsorption fields
  • agriculture capability

"Other" land information, relevant to the total assessment of potential tourism development, has been entered into the geographic information system for immediate future reference. It includes:

  • existing (implied) land use, access and ownership
  • existing tourism infrastructure and services including parks, campgrounds, recreation areas, hotels, viewpoints, etc.
  • archaeological resource sensitivity zones
  • archaeological sites
  • palaeontological resource sensitivity zones
  • CLI Land Capability for Recreation (as a reflection of and principle basis for current Palliser Planning Commission/policies related to recreation development)
  • Energy Resources Conservation Board well sites

Land information obtained, compiled and drafted, but not entered into the geographic information system includes:

  • areas of potential geological interest
  • One in 100 year flood line

Due to the necessary time restrictions for this project, the "other" land information was not incorporated into the interpretive models. These themes were presented in the form of individual or composite GIS resource themes plotted onto transparent mylar and suitable for visual overlay evaluations relative to limitations imposed by physical land features.

This report contains a description of the project methodology along with schema for the databases used to collect the project data.

Place Keywords
NTS Keywords

Jones, K., Marting, G., Krzanowski, R., Palylyk, C, Arora, V, Lutz, J., Nikiforuk, L., Fenton, M.M., Stein, R., Huemmert, M., Zhuo, W. and Andrews-Smith, S. (1989): Dinosaur corridor mapping project - Drumheller, potential tourism development; Alberta Research Council, ARC/AGS Open File Report 1991-12, 123 p.