Frequently Asked Questions

A listing of frequently asked questions, answers and definitions.

What is the Integrated Land and Resource Registry (ILRR)?

The ILRR is the central registry for all tenures and other legal encumbrances on Crown land in British Columbia. The ILRR contains information on Crown land parcels, private land parcels (where available) and administrative boundaries. For example, forest districts, electoral boundaries and base map information like topography and map grids are available in the ILRR.   

Why would I use the ILRR?

The ILRR:

• Provides access to current comprehensive land and resource information in minutes.
• Allows clients to quickly generate queries, maps or reports, share reports with others and get email notifications if something changes in a specific area of interest.
• Allows client to easily compare and contrast interests from different source databases because all the information is translated into one format.
• Enables clients to determine the current status of Crown and private land.
• Enables clients to identify if further historical research may be necessary through systems such as, DataBC for digital data and resource information, GATOR for detailed Land Act and survey information, or MyLTSA for information on private land.
• Supports land use planning and treaty negotiations.
• Identifies potential land use conflicts between different resource interests.

Is there a fee for using the ILRR?

There are no user fees currently associated with using the Integrated Land and Resource Registry. The ILRR provides free access to view its Natural Resource Sector data, but it does not provide the ability to download its data. 

What type of access is available into the ILRR application?

Everyone can use the ILRR as it is available to the general public, to external business users and provincial government employees. You must first acquire a username and password before you can log into the application. The functionality available to you is dependent upon what type of account access you have.

 

The three levels of access to the ILRR:

• Public Users (Guest Users) request a Basic BCeID, through the BCeID Web site https://www.bceid.ca/, enabling you to only use the ILRR map viewer with a limited set of tools;
• External Business Users are anyone who qualifies for a Business BCeID (see BCeID Web site). They have full access to ILRR functionality including running queries and generating reports;
• Internal Government of British Columbia employees.  They can use their IDIR account and password to log into the ILRR to access full ILRR functionality. Additionally, they can also apply with ILRR Change to User Access Form for access to sensitive records.  This will be granted if they have a specific business reason to view those records.

Please Note: Access to personal and sensitive records will be restricted in compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

What is a BCeID and how can I get one?

A BCeID account is an online "ID" and password that enables individuals and organizations to securely access multiple online government services including the ILRR, with a single user ID and password. Here is the link to the BCeID website: https://www.bceid.ca/

Anyone can request Basic BCeID access online for free. This provides you with access to the ILRR Mapviewer but none of the query tools and reports.  By choosing a user name and a password, on the BCeID Web site anyone can access the ILRR.  

If you are not a government employee and want to have the full functionality of the ILRR, you must request a Business BCeID. Your business organization's unique identity must be verified and you must be acting as an authorized representative of the business (i.e. not as an individual).

To request a Business BCeID, go to the BCeID Web site and follow the steps indicated. If you belong to a company that already has a Business BCeID account, contact BCeID to find out who the account administrator is for your company and this person will be able to create a BCeID for you.

The Personal BCeID does not provide access to the ILRR.  Therefore you need to apply for a Business BCeID if you require the full functionality of the ILRR.

How do you Log into the Integrated Land and Resource Registry?

1. From the ILRR Home Page (www.ilrr.ca) click the ‘Launch Application’ button
2. At the ‘Welcome to ILRR’ page. Choose the appropriate logon hyperlink

• Public Users  Guest User
• External Business or Internal Government Users Logon to ILRR

1. Public Users will be presented with the ‘Guest User - ILRR Terms and Conditions of Use’ page. Once you click on the Accept button, the Map viewer page will open.
2. Use your Basic BCeID and password and then click the ‘Next’ button.
3. Now you will be taken to the Post Login page. If the displayed past login information is incorrect, contact BCeID. Otherwise, select the ‘Next’ button to continue.
4. Business BCeID Users will follow steps 1) and 2), then choose the External Business User Login link to continue. Enter your BCeID and password and then click the ‘Next’ button.
5. Now you will be taken to the Post Login page. If the displayed past login information is incorrect, contact BCeID. Otherwise, select the ‘Next’ button to continue.
6. You now have access to full functionality of the ILRR through the ILRR Main Menu. If you run into problems, contact the NRS Business Service Desk by email at NRSApplications@gov.bc.ca or by phone at 250-952-6801.

What interests are registered in the ILRR?

The ILRR provides a single source of reliable information on over 280 different legal interests on Crown land including tenures, regulated uses, land and resource use restrictions and reservations. This information is compiled from all Natural Resource Sector ministries and three boards.  This is visually represented on a map and is available to the public using a Web browser.

Click here for a current list of ILRR registered interests.

What does the Interest Status  of Obsolete mean?

When a program area transitions its data from one database system to a different system it generally 'cleans up' the existing data. Often that means leaving the previously retired  records out of the new database. This can result in the retired data being lost. 
The ILRR labels this data as obsolete in order to retain potentially significant historical records. 

How current or up to date is the ILRR data?

The ILRR provides access to current land and resource information in minutes. Changes detected in the source databases are targeted to be replicated into the ILRR within 30 minutes.  This replication process applies to the source databases such as Crown land, forest, oil/gas, petroleum and mineral interests. This allows users to confidently view and status those updated interests quickly and efficiently. Some interests change less frequently as per the update cycle of the interest– Guide Outfitter Areas, for example, are bulk-loaded on a scheduled basis.

A best practice is to check the Application Alert for any important issues that could be happening to the source data systems before logging into the ILRR.

Does the ILRR have information on private land?

The ILRR is committed to providing private land information where it is available. Currently, there is no complete seamless private land survey fabric available for the province.  

In the map viewer, the ILRR provides a view of the Integrated Cadastral fabric or ICF. This dataset represents the current state of surveyed and titled parcels on Crown and private land.          

The Survey Parcel search in the ILRR, allows a user to search by Crown parcel identifiers (PIN), private parcel identifiers (PID), title number, or legal descriptions.

For more information about a private parcel, a user can use the PID number to search the Land Titles Registry, through the pay per service application My LTSA.  

How can I download the digital information from the ILRR?

The ILRR does not support users in downloading digital spatial information contained in the ILRR. Users external to government wanting to access digital base map, survey fabric or other data for analysis purposes can obtain the information from one of the following sources:

• The Data Catalogue provides free access to BC public government data (spatial and/or attribute), applications and web services.
• Base Map Online Store provides access to airphotos, orthophotos, TRIM data and raster maps.
• GATOR, an application maintained as the electronic Crown Land Registry provides access to the attributes associated with a particular parcel of Crown land and to retrieve scanned images of Crown land records.
• The Land Titles Registry, available at My LTSA allows a user to research private land by using the private parcel identifiers or PID number obtained from the ILRR.   

How complete is the ILRR data?

There are over 2.8 million interests registered in the ILRR of which 800,000 are active. This data is obtained directly from operational data sets.

The operational datasets include:

1. Tantalis or the Crown Land Registry
2. Forest Tenure Administration (FTA)
3. Heritage Resource Inventory Application (HRIA)
4. Mineral Titles Online (MTO)
5. Results - Silviculture tracking system
6. Integrated Petroleum System (IPS)
7. SITE or the Contaminated Sites registry
8. Guide Outfitter Areas
9. Trapline Areas
10. Water Licences
11. Water Works
12. Oil and Gas Tenures
13. Statement of Intent Areas for the Treaty Negotiation process

Please Note: Historical record information that isn't available in electronic form from the original operational systems or interests that were inactive or expired prior to May 2005 are not available in the ILRR.

What training is available?

The ILRR provides a training manual, user reference guides, glossary definitions, frequently asked questions and metadata on the information contained in the ILRR.

For our new user's convenience, most of the training information can be accessed from the GeoBC’s  web page.

Our Training Material section includes:

• An ILRR Overview available as a PDF document.
• Glossary and Definitions - provides a description of the terms and acronyms used in the ILRR.
• ILRR Metadata - the ILRR uses the Data BC Catalogue to provide metadata information on ILRR content. This helps users to find, understand and explore data contained in the ILRR.  The ILRR team does not provide ILRR specific data downloads to any client or agency as we are not the source agency for that data.

If you run into problems, contact the Natural Resource Sector Service Desk:

• Phone (within Victoria): 250-952-6801
• Toll Free (within BC): 1-866-952-6801
• Email Address: NRSApplications@gov.bc.ca

Where can I receive further information about the interests that ILRR provides?

The ILRR provides a wide variety of information for government and public use, but there may be instances where users may need to obtain digital data from sites such as the Data Distribution Service hosted by Data BC. This service allows you to order land and resource data from the BC Geographic Warehouse (BCGW).

Further research results may also be reached through other government systems such as the DataBC for metadata and resource information, GATOR for detailed Land Act and survey information, or My LTSA for information on private land.

How do I know if interests are in conflict?  

The Province of British Columbia, through various ministries and agencies, issues leases, licenses, permits or other instruments that allow or limit various uses of Crown land and/or resources. The province adheres to a policy of integrated land and resource use, whereby several activities may occur on the same land base provided the purposes are compatible. This can become very complex due to a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:

• A combination of surface and sub-surface resources
• A combination of land and/or resource uses
• Different terms, conditions and obligations between tenures
• Potential impacts on one tenure holder when another exercises his or her rights
• Changing land use expectations and demands

The ILRR provides status reports and maps showing interests in a specific geographic area identified by the user; however, the ILRR does not make any determination of whether the purpose of those interests may be in conflict. Seek the advice of the rights granting agencies or legal counsel if information is required regarding the mitigation of interest conflicts.

How can I find a location on my map?

The location function of the Map Viewer is quite powerful, so this new function replaces the save session function available in ILRR 7.5. Once you type in a selection, the Map Viewer will list the potential matches to your selection.

You can search for an area by four different search types,

• Coordinate – provides the ability to search by map coordinate number:
  • Latitude/Longitude in decimal degrees( ie. 49.60, -114.89)
  • BC Albers as an X/Y (ie. 1072457, 495480)
  • UTM as an X/Y and zone number (ie. 355036 5481744 Zone 10)

• Mapsheet – provides the ability to search by the BCGS or NTS mapgrid number
  • 1:20,000 scale BCGS mapsheet (ie. 092B053)
  • 1:50,000 scale NTS mapsheet (ie. 92B06)
  • 1:250,000 scale NTS mapsheet (ie. 92B)
• Place name – the ability to search by locality.  This feature allows you to type in a place name and it provides you with a list of likely matches.  Therefore if you are unsure about spelling or if it is a river or a lake, you can type in a portion of the name and the search screen will populate.
• Address – the ability to search by a street address. Type in the address, then the address and city will appear in the search window.

Can I upload spatial data into the ILRR?

Yes, ILRR account holders can upload into the ILRR Map Viewer if their data is in a supported NAD 83 projection and is less than 1 MB in size. To successfully add data, you will need to know the projection of your data beforehand and the type of data format.

For further information on uploading spatial data, please refer to the
MapViewer Quick Reference Guide.

What data formats are available to import into the ILRR?

• KML (*.KML) - Keyhole Markup Language, used in Google Earth
• GPX (*.GPX) - GPS Exchange format
• GeoJSON (*.JSON) - Geometry expressed in Javascript notation
• Well-Known Text (*.WKT) - a simple standard geometry format
• Simple Text (*.TXT) - a text listing of the geometry coordinates
• GeoMark - an area of interest or shape, which is created in a free web service made available to public and government users to store geographic data
• Shapefile (*.SHP) - the ESRI shapefile format

How do I import spatial data into the Map Viewer?            

By importing spatial data into the Map Viewer, will allow a user to bring their own file into the ILRR to help with their analysis or create an AOI with it.

Invalid AOI Geometry

• Invalid geometry explained here

Below is the step by step method to load a spatial file into ILRR.

• Click the Map Inquiry button on the ILRR main menu.
• From the Main toolbar, select the AOI tools button.
• Select the Import Geometry button.

At this point, there are three different routines to import the geometry:

1. Select the file through file manager or explorer,
2. Drag and Drop or
3. Paste the geometry into the text box

Select a File Method

1. Click the Choose file button which will open your file manager on your computer or in the cloud
2. Select a spatial files that matches one of these file types:
   • GPX (*.GPX)
   • GeoJSON (*.JSON)
   • KML (*.KML)
   • Shapefile (*.SHP)
   • Simple Text (*.TXT)
   • Well-Known Text (*.WKT)
3. Review the format and projection in the summary box so that it matches your file.
4. Click the import button.
5. The map viewer will load the file and zoom to the perimeter of the shape.

Drag and Drop method

1. Open your file manager
2. Select a spatial file.
3. Drag the file into the import window in ILRR
4. Review the format and projection in the summary box.
5. Click the import button.
6. The map viewer will load the file and zoom to the perimeter of the shape. 

Paste the geometry into the text box.

1. Open your file manager
2. Select a spatial file.
3. Open the file in a text pad
4. Copy the information and paste it into the text box (top box) in the Import window
5. Review the format and projection in the summary box.
6. Click the import button.
7. The map viewer will load the file and zoom to the perimeter of the shape. 

What coordinate projections are available to import into the ILRR?

The coordinate projection system defines how the 3D world is laid out on a flat or 2D medium. The coordinate systems available for import into the ILRR are:

• BC Albers – NAD 83
• Universal Transverse Mercator or UTM specifically zones 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
• Geographic Latitude / Longitude

Please Note: The BC Albers projection is the projection for British Columbia government’s spatial data due to its ability to maintain correct area measurements over the entirety of the province.

What is the best way to save queries that I want to use again?

If you need to run a report, you can create a ‘Custom Status’ query and save it in the ILRR. On the main menu, you will find these saved queries under the, ‘My Queries and Notifications’. You can then select any saved queries to run, modify, copy, share or delete them.

Also you will be able create a notification based on your query so that the ILRR will send you an email when something changes in your area of interest. View the ‘Custom Status’ section in the Quick Reference Guides on the GeoBC website (http://geobc.gov.bc.ca/rrr/ilrr/ilrr_ref.html) or specifically the Accessing the ILRR Guide.

How do I share my queries and report results with others?

When you save a query, you're only saving the parameters, and not the results of the map query. You can provide a person with access to the query by adding their BCeID or their IDIR id into the saved query window.

To share the results of your custom query:

• Run the Query
• On the ‘Generate Report - Display Options Screen’ select either the ‘File’ or ‘Batch’ option to output the results in PDF, CSV or RFT file formats.
• Another method to share the map query output, use the ‘Print to PDF’ Image paste from MS Word has been disabled. This image has been removed function after you have run the query.

This provides you with the most current information from the query. The query results will reflect the access permissions the person running.

Why is my Custom Query Failing?

A query can fail because there are too many records being requested from the database. So if there is a large geographic area or a query which doesn’t have enough detail to request a few records, the query will fail.  

There are three types of errors that can cause your custom query to fail:

• There was an error in an individual parameter screen, or
• The combination of parameters selected do not conform to certain Query Validation criteria, or
• The query parameters are too specific and there are no records which match this query.  

What are the possible errors in the individual Parameter screens?

For your query to be successful, the individual parameters you select must conform to certain Parameter Validation criteria. The following is a list of all validation criteria:

• Interest Type: At least ONE interest type must be selected.
• Interest Agency: At least ONE interest agency must be selected.
• Location: At least ONE location type must be selected.
• Term or Other Dates: When you activate a date type by clicking a checkbox, you must enter a corresponding date. You can type in the date using the format yyyy/mm/dd, or choose a date using the calendar function.
• Interest Holders: If you activate a radio button (either the Organization or Individual/Partner) and perform a search, you must select one or more checkboxes from the search results list. Otherwise, click the ‘Cancel’ button.
• Interest Status: At least ONE interest status type must be selected.
• Interest Size: If you activate a radio button, you must enter a size greater than zero.

How is the criteria validated in a Query?

The ILRR validation processes help to control the size or time to run the queries. When you have finished selecting the parameters for your query and click the Submit button, the system looks at the combination of parameters that you have selected and performs a validation. The parameter Location Type drives this validation.

This table lists query validation criteria table:

USER SELECTS		VALIDATION RULES
Location Type:	Area of Interest in Hectares:	User Must Select Parameter:	Parameter Limits:
PIN, PID or Map Viewer	Less than 100,000	No rules	No limits
PIN, PID or Map Viewer	Between 100,000 &   5 million	Interest Holder	At least one
	Less than 100,000	No rules	No limits
	Between 100,000 &   1 million	Interest Type	5 Types or less
	Between 100,000 &   1 million	Interest Agency	5 Agencies or less
	Between 100,000 &   1 million	Term/Other Dates	A span of 10 years or less
	Between 100,000 &   1 million	Interest Size	No limits
BC Province	N/A	Interest Holder	At least one
	N/A	At least TWO of the following
		Interest Type	5 Types or less
		Interest Agency	5 Agencies or less
		Term/Other Dates	A span of 10 years or less
		Interest Size	No limits

 

Parameter Combinations: Valid and Invalid

If YOU SELECT
Location Type:	Area of Interest in Hectares:	Parameter(s):	Pass or Fail	Reason for pass or fail
PIN, PID or Map Viewer	Between 1 & 5 million	3 Interest Holders no other parameters	Pass	selecting at least 1 Interest Holder will pass validation
PIN, PID or Map Viewer	Between 1 & 5 million	2 Interest Holders all Interest Agencies no other parameters	Pass	selecting at least 1 Interest Holder will pass validation
PIN, PID or Map Viewer	Between 1 & 5 million	3 Interest Agencies 5 Interest Types no other parameters	Fail	query did not have at least 1 Interest Holder
PIN, PID or Map Viewer	Between 100,000 & 1 million	20 Interest Holders 8 Interest Types Term/Other Dates: range > 10 years no other parameters	Pass	selecting at least 1 Interest Holder will pass validation
PIN, PID or Map Viewer	Between 100,000 & 1 million	13 Interest Types Term/Other Dates: range < 10 years	Pass	selecting at least 1 of the parameter limits, (Term/Other Dates: range < 10 years), will pass validation
PIN, PID or Map Viewer	Between 100,000 & 1 million	no parameters selected (you have accepted all the defaults)	Fail	query did not have at least 1 Interest Holder, or at least 1 of the remaining parameters (excluding Status)
PIN, PID or Map Viewer	Between 100,000 & 1 million	5 Interest Agencies 11 Interest Types Term/Other Dates: range > 10 Status = active	Pass	selecting at least 1 of the parameter limits (5 Interest Agencies) will pass validation
PIN, PID or Map Viewer	Less than 100,000	7 Interest Agencies 22 Interest Types Term/Other Dates: range > 10 years	Pass	no limits
BC Province	N/A	6 Interest Holders no other parameters selected	Pass	selecting at least 1 Interest Holder will pass validation
BC Province	N/A	9 Interest Holders 6 Interest Types Term/Other Dates: range > 10 Status = suspended	Pass	selecting at least 1 Interest Holder will pass validation
BC Province	N/A	4 Interest Agencies 9 Interest Types Term/Other Dates: range > 10 years	Fail	query did not have at least 1 Interest Holder, or at least 2 of the remaining parameters (excluding Status)
BC Province	N/A	3 Interest Types Term/Other Dates: range > 10 Status = suspended 1 Interest Agency	Pass	selecting at least 2 parameters (excluding Interest Holder) will pass validation

 

How do I get land parcel information if the Lands file number is 0000000?

When the data was entered digitally for the first time from the hardcopy records, there were transactions that never had files associated with them. Largely these transactions were transfers of administration and control to the Federal Government or old Crown Grants that were recorded in the lot registers (the Crown Land Registry before computers). When the data was converted to digital format those files were all given 0000000 file numbers. ILRR returns the correct information in GATOR based on the file number. Since 0000000 is a blanket number, the ILRR cannot connect to a single specific record resulting in a ‘PROXY ERROR’. If the proxy reference is “GATOR/GATOR$querylist.search ip by file number”, search GATOR directly using the legal description and/or the document number from the ILRR Detail Report.

Searching GATOR using the legal description (or short legal) returns more information than a search based on the document number.

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In this case, this will take you to the Crown Grant Document but not return any links to a map, plan or fieldbook etc.

Using the full or partial legal description (in this example it would be Section 10 TP 27 ODYD)   returns information that the document number search doesn’t (i.e. if the parcel had reverted to the Crown or had been acquired).