Waterloo Collegiate Institute

Niagara Escarpment Final Winery Location

Organization
Waterloo Collegiate Institute

Author
Waterloo Collegiate Institute Geotech Magnet Program

ESRI Software
ArcView 9.x

Data Sources
Skills Canada competition 2006

Description
Skills/Compétences Canada is a national, not for profit organization that actively promotes careers in skilled trades and technologies to Canadian youth.  Waterloo's RIM Park hosts the annual Skills Canada-Ontario competition that showcases the talents of a variety of student trades-people from across Ontario.

On May 2, 2006, seven teams of two students gathered in Waterloo's RIM Park to compete in the GIS skills competition. Students were asked to use GIS to find the best location for a new winery in the Niagara region based on a variety of criteria.

Local conservation authorities provided guidelines that participants had to follow when selecting the site for their vineyard. They were provided with a document outlining the requirements for grape growing and an extensive array of data from the Niagara region including aerial photographs, soil type data, land use data, and length of growing season.

The students had to compile all the information with the assistance of GIS software to determine a location and produce a series of maps to support their decision.