Digital surface model (MNS)

An accurate representation of the relief is essential for a large number of land management applications. Digital terrain models (DTM) and digital surface models (MNS) are simplified representations of ground altimetry.

The MNT is a representation of the altitude of “bare ground” without infrastructure, while the MNS reproduces the shape of the Earth's surface by including all the permanent and visible elements of the landscape such as the ground and buildings.

It is possible to add vegetation by including the [Numerical Canopy Model (MNC)] (/city-of-montreal/model-numerique-de-canopee-mnc).This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated April 17, 2026, 19:46 (UTC)
Created April 17, 2026, 19:46 (UTC)
contact_email donneesouvertes@montreal.ca
contact_person {"en": "Government and Municipalities of Québec; Government and Municipalities of Québec; Ville de Montréal", "fr": "Gouvernement et municipalités du Québec; Gouvernement et municipalités du Québec; Ville de Montréal"}
criticality_level []
data_dictionary unknown,unknown,unknown
geographic_scope []
open_canada_collection fgp
open_canada_date_published 2018-04-03 00:00:00
open_canada_keywords {"en-t-fr": ["3D", "MNS", "Model", "Numeric", "Relief", "SIRR", "Surface", "Government information"], "fr": ["3D", "MNS", "Modèle", "Numérique", "Relief", "SIRR", "Surface", "Information gouvernementale"]}
open_canada_subject ["form_descriptors", "nature_and_environment", "science_and_technology"]
sensitivity_level unrestricted
title_fr Modèle numérique de surface (MNS)
update_frequency irregular