[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"learn-\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Farcmap-to-arcgis-pro-dls-migration":3,"learn-related-how-to\u002Farcmap-to-arcgis-pro-dls-migration":341},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"category":319,"createdAt":319,"cta":320,"description":323,"extension":324,"icon":319,"industry":319,"keywords":325,"meta":331,"navigation":332,"path":333,"province":319,"relatedPages":334,"section":335,"seo":336,"stem":337,"systems":338,"updatedAt":319,"__hash__":340},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Farcmap-to-arcgis-pro-dls-migration.md","ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro: Migrating DLS and NTS Legal Land Descriptions",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":300},"minimark",[9,14,29,37,40,45,50,60,64,67,80,83,87,98,102,109,113,119,145,148,152,160,164,167,192,195,199,213,216,220,228,231,242,248,256,260,269,279,285,289],[10,11,13],"h1",{"id":12},"migrating-dls-legal-land-descriptions-from-arcmap-to-arcgis-pro","Migrating DLS Legal Land Descriptions from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro",[15,16,17,18,23,24,28],"p",{},"Esri retired ArcMap on March 1, 2026. If your team ran ",[19,20,22],"a",{"href":21},"\u002Flearn\u002Fsystems\u002Fdls","DLS"," or ",[19,25,27],{"href":26},"\u002Flearn\u002Fsystems\u002Fnts","NTS"," legal land description workflows in ArcMap — batch geocoding from a well inventory, custom locators, or coordinate lookups — those workflows do not carry over to ArcGIS Pro automatically.",[15,30,31,32,36],{},"The short version: ArcGIS Pro has no native support for Canadian legal land descriptions. ",[33,34,35],"code",{},"NE 14-032-21W4"," means nothing to the built-in search bar. You need a locator add-on to restore that functionality.",[15,38,39],{},"This page covers what breaks in an arcmap to arcgis pro legal land description migration, and the steps to fix it.",[41,42,44],"h2",{"id":43},"what-breaks-in-the-migration-what-breaks","What Breaks in the Migration {#what-breaks}",[46,47,49],"h3",{"id":48},"custom-dls-locators-built-in-arcmap","Custom DLS Locators Built in ArcMap",[15,51,52,53,56,57,59],{},"Some ArcMap users built composite locators for DLS conversion by pairing a custom address locator with coordinate-based geocoding. Those locator files (",[33,54,55],{},".loc",") are not compatible with ArcGIS Pro — the format changed in ArcGIS Pro 2.x and ArcMap ",[33,58,55],{}," files cannot be imported. You'll see a \"locator is not compatible\" error if you try.",[46,61,63],{"id":62},"batch-geocoding-tables","Batch Geocoding Tables",[15,65,66],{},"ArcMap projects that batch-geocoded a DLS or LSD attribute table break at two points after migration:",[68,69,70,77],"ol",{},[71,72,73,74,76],"li",{},"The ",[33,75,55],{}," locator file is incompatible with ArcGIS Pro",[71,78,79],{},"ArcGIS Pro's Address Locator framework doesn't recognize DLS notation as a valid address type",[15,81,82],{},"You can export the source data, but you can't re-geocode it without a DLS-aware locator.",[46,84,86],{"id":85},"saved-map-documents-mxd","Saved Map Documents (.mxd)",[15,88,89,90,93,94,97],{},"Opening an ",[33,91,92],{},".mxd"," in ArcGIS Pro converts it to an ",[33,95,96],{},".aprx"," project. The conversion preserves layers and symbology, but any tool that depended on a DLS locator stops working silently — no error, just empty search results.",[41,99,101],{"id":100},"replacing-the-dls-locator-in-arcgis-pro-solution","Replacing the DLS Locator in ArcGIS Pro {#solution}",[15,103,104,105,108],{},"The Township Canada ArcGIS Pro toolbox (",[33,106,107],{},"TownshipCanada.pyt",") adds a fully functional DLS and NTS locator to ArcGIS Pro. It works with the Locate pane search bar and as a geoprocessing tool for batch conversion.",[46,110,112],{"id":111},"step-1-install-the-toolbox","Step 1: Install the Toolbox",[15,114,115,116,118],{},"Download ",[33,117,107],{}," from the ArcGIS Marketplace. In ArcGIS Pro:",[68,120,121,129,139],{},[71,122,123,124,128],{},"Open the ",[125,126,127],"strong",{},"Catalog"," pane",[71,130,131,132,135,136],{},"Right-click ",[125,133,134],{},"Toolboxes"," → ",[125,137,138],{},"Add Toolbox",[71,140,141,142,144],{},"Browse to ",[33,143,107],{}," and click OK",[15,146,147],{},"The toolbox appears under your project toolboxes immediately — no restart required.",[46,149,151],{"id":150},"step-2-connect-your-api-key","Step 2: Connect Your API Key",[15,153,154,155,159],{},"The toolbox calls the Township Canada API to resolve descriptions. Sign up for an API key at the ",[19,156,158],{"href":157},"\u002Fapi","API portal"," — plans start at $20\u002Fmonth for 1,000 requests. Enter your key in the toolbox properties; it's stored in your ArcGIS Pro project settings and persists across sessions.",[46,161,163],{"id":162},"step-3-rebuild-batch-geocoding-workflows","Step 3: Rebuild Batch Geocoding Workflows",[15,165,166],{},"For any ArcMap batch geocoding jobs you're migrating:",[68,168,169,176,183,186,189],{},[71,170,171,172,175],{},"Open ",[125,173,174],{},"Township Canada Batch Convert"," from the toolbox in the Geoprocessing pane",[71,177,178,179,182],{},"Set ",[125,180,181],{},"Input Table"," to your well inventory, pipeline table, or land rights spreadsheet",[71,184,185],{},"Select the column containing the DLS or NTS descriptions",[71,187,188],{},"Choose an output feature class location",[71,190,191],{},"Run the tool",[15,193,194],{},"Output is a point feature class with GPS coordinates, province, and survey system as attributes. Optional boundary polygons are available as a second output.",[46,196,198],{"id":197},"step-4-restore-search-bar-lookups","Step 4: Restore Search Bar Lookups",[15,200,201,202,205,206,209,210,212],{},"After installation, the Township Canada locator appears in the ",[125,203,204],{},"Locate"," pane alongside Esri's default geocoders. Type any legal land description — ",[33,207,208],{},"LSD 06-32-048-07W5",", ",[33,211,35],{},", or an NTS reference — and it returns the location with map zoom.",[15,214,215],{},"This replaces the browser-based lookup workflow that many ArcMap users fell back on when their locator wasn't working.",[41,217,219],{"id":218},"example-migrating-a-well-inventory-example","Example: Migrating a Well Inventory {#example}",[15,221,222,223,227],{},"A land technician at an ",[19,224,226],{"href":225},"\u002Flearn\u002Findustries\u002Foil-and-gas","oil and gas"," company has an ArcMap project with 340 well locations stored as DLS descriptions in a file geodatabase table. The existing geocoding results layer is broken because the ArcMap locator isn't recognized in ArcGIS Pro.",[15,229,230],{},"Migration path:",[68,232,233,236,239],{},[71,234,235],{},"Export the geodatabase table to CSV (or keep it in the geodatabase)",[71,237,238],{},"Run the Township Canada batch tool, pointing it at the DLS column",[71,240,241],{},"Output: a point feature class with all 340 wells plotted by GPS coordinates",[15,243,244,245,247],{},"The whole process takes under five minutes. Before the migration, the same task required rebuilding a locator and hoping the ",[33,246,92],{}," conversion hadn't dropped any table joins.",[15,249,250,251,255],{},"For teams that need results in formats other than a geodatabase feature class — CSV, KML, GeoJSON, Shapefile — the ",[19,252,254],{"href":253},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Fbatch-convert-legal-land-descriptions","batch convert guide"," covers the Township Canada web app workflow.",[41,257,259],{"id":258},"common-mistakes-mistakes","Common Mistakes {#mistakes}",[15,261,262,268],{},[125,263,264,265,267],{},"Trying to import the old ",[33,266,55],{}," file."," It won't work. ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro use different locator schemas. The only path forward is a DLS-native toolbox.",[15,270,271,274,275,278],{},[125,272,273],{},"Assuming ArcGIS Pro's built-in geocoders handle DLS."," They don't. Esri's geocoders are address-based and don't understand Canadian survey grid notation. A query like ",[33,276,277],{},"SE-24-47-6-W5"," either returns nothing or maps to a street address in an unrelated location.",[15,280,281,284],{},[125,282,283],{},"Overlooking NTS references."," Teams working in BC, the Yukon, or on resource mapping data often mix DLS and NTS references in the same table. The Township Canada toolbox handles both systems in a single batch run — no need to separate the file by survey system before processing.",[41,286,288],{"id":287},"try-it-now","Try It Now",[15,290,291,292,296,297,299],{},"See how the ",[19,293,295],{"href":294},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Farcgis-pro-legal-land-description-locator","ArcGIS Pro locator"," works by searching ",[125,298,208],{}," in the [Township Canada converter](\u002F?example=LSD 06-32-048-07W5). You get GPS coordinates and a parcel boundary for a 40-acre parcel near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta — the same response the ArcGIS Pro toolbox returns when you type that description in the Locate pane.",{"title":301,"searchDepth":302,"depth":302,"links":303},"",2,[304,310,316,317,318],{"id":43,"depth":302,"text":44,"children":305},[306,308,309],{"id":48,"depth":307,"text":49},3,{"id":62,"depth":307,"text":63},{"id":85,"depth":307,"text":86},{"id":100,"depth":302,"text":101,"children":311},[312,313,314,315],{"id":111,"depth":307,"text":112},{"id":150,"depth":307,"text":151},{"id":162,"depth":307,"text":163},{"id":197,"depth":307,"text":198},{"id":218,"depth":302,"text":219},{"id":258,"depth":302,"text":259},{"id":287,"depth":302,"text":288},null,{"label":321,"href":322},"Try the ArcGIS Pro DLS locator","\u002F?example=LSD 06-32-048-07W5","ArcMap retired March 2026. Here's how to move your DLS and NTS legal land description workflows to ArcGIS Pro without losing functionality.","md",[326,327,328,329,330],"arcmap to arcgis pro legal land description","arcmap dls migration","arcgis pro nts locator","migrate arcmap legal land description workflows","arcgis pro dls locator",{},true,"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Farcmap-to-arcgis-pro-dls-migration",[294,21,26,225,253],"how-to",{"title":5,"description":323},"learn\u002Fhow-to\u002Farcmap-to-arcgis-pro-dls-migration",[22,27,339],"LSD","x2yeDngUIxHirsgheWP_aHf_ykiDIBWmRAHuJCe8nTQ",[342,680,985],{"id":343,"title":344,"body":345,"category":319,"createdAt":319,"cta":666,"description":668,"extension":324,"icon":319,"industry":319,"keywords":669,"meta":674,"navigation":332,"path":294,"province":319,"relatedPages":675,"section":335,"seo":676,"stem":677,"systems":678,"updatedAt":319,"__hash__":679},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Farcgis-pro-legal-land-description-locator.md","ArcGIS Pro Legal Land Description Locator — DLS and NTS Search in Esri",{"type":7,"value":346,"toc":648},[347,351,354,364,370,374,380,394,400,404,408,414,418,438,442,450,454,458,464,468,490,494,497,501,507,513,517,520,562,565,583,587,598,624,628,638,642],[10,348,350],{"id":349},"arcgis-pro-legal-land-description-locator","ArcGIS Pro Legal Land Description Locator",[15,352,353],{},"ArcGIS Pro does not include a native locator for Canadian legal land descriptions. If you type \"NE 14-032-21W4\" into the ArcGIS Pro search bar, it returns nothing. Esri confirmed there are no plans to add DLS or NTS support — not even with the NATRF2022 datum update in version 3.7.",[15,355,356,357,359,360,363],{},"That's a problem if you're a GIS analyst at an oil and gas company, a geomatics engineer running cadastral surveys, or a land technician mapping pipeline corridors. Your data references ",[19,358,22],{"href":21}," quarter sections and ",[19,361,339],{"href":362},"\u002Flearn\u002Fsystems\u002Flsd"," parcels, but your GIS software doesn't know what they are.",[15,365,366,367,369],{},"Township Canada's ArcGIS Pro Python toolbox fills that gap. It adds a legal land description locator directly to ArcGIS Pro — search DLS and ",[19,368,27],{"href":26}," descriptions from the search bar, batch convert tables of locations to feature classes, and display parcel boundaries on any map.",[41,371,373],{"id":372},"what-the-arcgis-pro-toolbox-does","What the ArcGIS Pro Toolbox Does",[15,375,376,377,379],{},"The Township Canada Python toolbox (",[33,378,107],{},") installs as a standard ArcGIS Pro toolbox and provides two main capabilities:",[15,381,382,385,386,209,388,209,390,393],{},[125,383,384],{},"Search bar locator",": Type any DLS or NTS description into the ArcGIS Pro search bar — ",[33,387,208],{},[33,389,35],{},[33,391,392],{},"NTS 093P09"," — and the locator returns the GPS coordinates and zooms to the location on your map. No tab-switching, no copy-paste from a browser.",[15,395,396,399],{},[125,397,398],{},"Batch geoprocessing tool",": Point the tool at a table or feature class containing a column of legal land descriptions. It converts every row to a point feature class with latitude, longitude, and the original description. Optionally, it also generates a polygon feature class with the parcel boundaries. Useful for processing well inventories, pipeline route tables, or mineral rights spreadsheets that list hundreds of DLS locations.",[41,401,403],{"id":402},"when-you-need-this","When You Need This",[46,405,407],{"id":406},"gis-analysts-in-oil-and-gas","GIS Analysts in Oil and Gas",[15,409,410,411,413],{},"An ",[19,412,226],{"href":225}," company receives a spreadsheet of 400 well locations from the AER, all in LSD format. The GIS team needs these as a point layer in their ArcGIS Pro project to run proximity analysis against existing infrastructure. Without a locator, they'd export the spreadsheet, convert it in a separate tool, re-import the coordinates, and join them back. The batch geoprocessing tool does it in one step inside ArcGIS Pro.",[46,415,417],{"id":416},"surveyors-planning-fieldwork","Surveyors Planning Fieldwork",[15,419,420,421,425,426,430,431,209,434,437],{},"A ",[19,422,424],{"href":423},"\u002Flearn\u002Findustries\u002Fsurveying","surveying"," firm wins a contract to monument 25 section corners along a proposed highway corridor in ",[19,427,429],{"href":428},"\u002Flearn\u002Fprovinces\u002Fsaskatchewan","Saskatchewan",". The contract lists each location as a DLS section reference — ",[33,432,433],{},"32-048-07W3",[33,435,436],{},"33-048-07W3",", and so on. The survey crew lead opens ArcGIS Pro, runs the batch tool against the contract table, and gets a point layer with all 25 locations plotted on the survey grid and satellite imagery. Field planning that used to take an afternoon now takes five minutes.",[46,439,441],{"id":440},"environmental-consultants","Environmental Consultants",[15,443,444,445,449],{},"An environmental assessment covers 60 quarter sections across the Peace River region of ",[19,446,448],{"href":447},"\u002Flearn\u002Fprovinces\u002Fbritish-columbia","British Columbia",". Some locations use DLS notation (the Peace River block) and others use NTS grid references (the rest of BC). The toolbox handles both systems in the same batch run — no need to separate the file by survey system.",[41,451,453],{"id":452},"how-to-set-it-up","How to Set It Up",[46,455,457],{"id":456},"step-1-get-a-township-canada-api-key","Step 1: Get a Township Canada API Key",[15,459,460,461,463],{},"The ArcGIS Pro toolbox connects to the Township Canada API. Sign up at the ",[19,462,158],{"href":157}," — plans start at $20\u002Fmonth for 1,000 requests. If you're running batch jobs with hundreds of locations, the Scale plan at $100\u002Fmonth covers 10,000 requests.",[46,465,467],{"id":466},"step-2-install-the-toolbox","Step 2: Install the Toolbox",[15,469,115,470,472,473,479,480,482,483,485,486,489],{},[33,471,107],{}," from the ",[19,474,478],{"href":475,"rel":476},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.arcgis.com\u002Fhome\u002Fgroup.html",[477],"nofollow","ArcGIS Marketplace",". In ArcGIS Pro, right-click ",[125,481,134],{}," in the Catalog pane, select ",[125,484,138],{},", and browse to the ",[33,487,488],{},".pyt"," file. The toolbox appears under your project toolboxes.",[46,491,493],{"id":492},"step-3-configure-your-api-key","Step 3: Configure Your API Key",[15,495,496],{},"Open the toolbox properties and enter your Township Canada API key. The key is stored in your ArcGIS Pro project settings — you only configure it once.",[46,498,500],{"id":499},"step-4-search-or-batch-convert","Step 4: Search or Batch Convert",[15,502,503,506],{},[125,504,505],{},"To search",": Type a legal land description in the ArcGIS Pro Locate pane. The Township Canada locator appears as a search provider alongside Esri's default geocoders.",[15,508,509,512],{},[125,510,511],{},"To batch convert",": Open the Township Canada geoprocessing tool from the toolbox. Select your input table, specify which column contains the legal land descriptions, and run. The output is a point feature class (and optional polygon feature class) added directly to your map.",[41,514,516],{"id":515},"example-converting-a-well-inventory","Example: Converting a Well Inventory",[15,518,519],{},"Input table with 3 rows:",[521,522,523,536],"table",{},[524,525,526],"thead",{},[527,528,529,533],"tr",{},[530,531,532],"th",{},"Well Name",[530,534,535],{},"LLD",[537,538,539,547,555],"tbody",{},[527,540,541,545],{},[542,543,544],"td",{},"Ferrier 06-32",[542,546,208],{},[527,548,549,552],{},[542,550,551],{},"Pembina 14-27",[542,553,554],{},"LSD 14-27-048-05W5",[527,556,557,560],{},[542,558,559],{},"Drumheller NE-14",[542,561,35],{},[15,563,564],{},"After running the batch tool, ArcGIS Pro displays three points on the map — one near Rocky Mountain House, one near Drayton Valley, and one near Drumheller. Each point carries the original LLD, GPS coordinates, province, and survey system as attributes.",[15,566,567,568,572,573,577,578,582],{},"Export the results as a shapefile, geodatabase feature class, or any format ArcGIS Pro supports. For teams that also need data in KML, GeoJSON, or CSV, the ",[19,569,571],{"href":570},"\u002F","Township Canada web app"," offers those ",[19,574,576],{"href":575},"\u002Fguides\u002Fdownload-results","export formats"," on the ",[19,579,581],{"href":580},"\u002Fpricing","Business plan",".",[41,584,586],{"id":585},"beyond-arcgis-pro","Beyond ArcGIS Pro",[15,588,589,590,593,594,597],{},"Township Canada's Esri integration also includes an ",[125,591,592],{},"Experience Builder widget"," for ArcGIS Online — add legal land description search with autocomplete to any web map experience — and a ",[125,595,596],{},"Survey123 integration"," for field data collection. If a field crew enters a DLS description in a Survey123 form, the integration auto-converts it to GPS coordinates and updates the feature layer.",[15,599,600,601,209,605,209,609,613,614,618,619,623],{},"For GIS teams working outside Esri, Township Canada also has integration guides for ",[19,602,604],{"href":603},"\u002Fguides\u002Fmapbox-integration","Mapbox",[19,606,608],{"href":607},"\u002Fguides\u002Fleaflet-integration","Leaflet",[19,610,612],{"href":611},"\u002Fguides\u002Fopenlayers-integration","OpenLayers",", and ",[19,615,617],{"href":616},"\u002Fguides\u002Fmaplibre-integration","MapLibre",". And for data teams running ",[19,620,622],{"href":621},"\u002Fblog\u002Fsnowflake-dls-enrichment","Snowflake",", there's a SQL-native conversion function.",[41,625,627],{"id":626},"migrating-from-arcmap","Migrating from ArcMap?",[15,629,630,631,633,634,637],{},"Esri retired ArcMap in March 2026. If you have existing DLS locators, batch geocoding tables, or ",[33,632,92],{}," projects that need to move to ArcGIS Pro, see the ",[19,635,636],{"href":333},"ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro migration guide"," — it covers what breaks and the steps to restore legal land description functionality.",[41,639,641],{"id":640},"try-a-legal-land-description-now","Try a Legal Land Description Now",[15,643,644,645,647],{},"Enter ",[125,646,208],{}," into the [Township Canada converter](\u002F?example=LSD 06-32-048-07W5) to see what the ArcGIS Pro locator returns — GPS coordinates, parcel boundary, and survey grid context for a 40-acre parcel near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. Or search any DLS or NTS description from your own project files.",{"title":301,"searchDepth":302,"depth":302,"links":649},[650,651,656,662,663,664,665],{"id":372,"depth":302,"text":373},{"id":402,"depth":302,"text":403,"children":652},[653,654,655],{"id":406,"depth":307,"text":407},{"id":416,"depth":307,"text":417},{"id":440,"depth":307,"text":441},{"id":452,"depth":302,"text":453,"children":657},[658,659,660,661],{"id":456,"depth":307,"text":457},{"id":466,"depth":307,"text":467},{"id":492,"depth":307,"text":493},{"id":499,"depth":307,"text":500},{"id":515,"depth":302,"text":516},{"id":585,"depth":302,"text":586},{"id":626,"depth":302,"text":627},{"id":640,"depth":302,"text":641},{"label":667,"href":322},"Try the ArcGIS Pro locator","Add a DLS and NTS legal land description locator to ArcGIS Pro. Search, batch convert, and map Canadian land descriptions without leaving Esri.",[670,330,671,672,673],"arcgis pro legal land description locator","esri legal land description","arcgis nts search","arcgis pro township range section",{},[21,26,225,423],{"title":344,"description":668},"learn\u002Fhow-to\u002Farcgis-pro-legal-land-description-locator",[22,27,339],"R6OkRDuFXKgHBS__pipV64RlOEGff2qNDstmaSjpkh4",{"id":681,"title":682,"body":683,"category":335,"createdAt":319,"cta":319,"description":972,"extension":324,"icon":319,"industry":319,"keywords":973,"meta":979,"navigation":332,"path":253,"province":981,"relatedPages":319,"section":319,"seo":982,"stem":983,"systems":319,"updatedAt":319,"__hash__":984},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Fbatch-convert-legal-land-descriptions.md","Batch Convert Legal Land Descriptions — Process Thousands of LLDs at Once",{"type":7,"value":684,"toc":960},[685,689,692,695,699,702,718,721,725,731,742,748,758,762,766,769,772,781,784,788,796,800,803,824,827,831,834,872,881,885,898,901,905,918,933,940,948],[10,686,688],{"id":687},"batch-convert-legal-land-descriptions-to-gps-coordinates","Batch Convert Legal Land Descriptions to GPS Coordinates",[15,690,691],{},"If you have a spreadsheet of legal land descriptions that need GPS coordinates, converting them one at a time is not practical. A pipeline company with 2,000 DLS locations for a route survey, an insurance firm triaging 500 claims after a hailstorm, or a land department reconciling quarterly well licence filings — each of these jobs starts with the same problem: a column of LSD or quarter section references that need to become latitude and longitude values.",[15,693,694],{},"Township Canada's batch converter handles this in a single upload.",[41,696,698],{"id":697},"what-the-batch-converter-does","What the Batch Converter Does",[15,700,701],{},"The batch converter accepts a CSV or spreadsheet containing legal land descriptions in any standard Canadian format — DLS, LSD, NTS, quarter section, or Geographic Township. It processes each row, calculates the GPS coordinates from official survey data, and returns the results as a downloadable file.",[15,703,704,705,209,708,209,710,713,714,717],{},"Input formats are flexible. You can upload descriptions like ",[33,706,707],{},"06-32-048-07W5",[33,709,35],{},[33,711,712],{},"NTS A-2-F\u002F93-P-8",", or ",[33,715,716],{},"Lot 12, Concession 3, Township of Essa"," — all in the same file. The converter identifies the survey system for each row automatically.",[15,719,720],{},"Output includes the original description, latitude, longitude, and a confidence flag for each record. Rows that don't match a known land parcel are flagged rather than silently dropped, so you know exactly which entries need review.",[41,722,724],{"id":723},"when-youd-need-batch-conversion","When You'd Need Batch Conversion",[15,726,727,730],{},[125,728,729],{},"Quarterly regulatory filings",": Oil and gas companies submit well location data to the AER, SK Ministry of Energy, or BC OGC using legal land descriptions. Before filing, teams often need to verify coordinates match the descriptions on record. Running the full list through batch conversion catches discrepancies before they become compliance issues.",[15,732,733,736,737,741],{},[125,734,735],{},"Post-event insurance triage",": After a major hailstorm in southern Alberta, an insurer might receive 300+ claims in a week, each referencing a quarter section or LSD. Plotting all of them on a map at once shows the geographic spread of damage and helps prioritize field adjuster routes. See our guide on ",[19,738,740],{"href":739},"\u002Fhow-to\u002Flegal-land-description-for-crop-insurance","how crop insurance uses legal land descriptions"," for more on this workflow.",[15,743,744,747],{},[125,745,746],{},"Farmland portfolio analysis",": Real estate firms or agricultural lenders managing hundreds of rural parcels need GPS coordinates for mapping, valuation, and due diligence. A CSV of quarter sections from land titles converts to a GeoJSON file that drops straight into GIS software.",[15,749,750,753,754,582],{},[125,751,752],{},"Survey project planning",": A surveying crew with 40 section corners to visit needs GPS coordinates for route planning. Upload the list, download as KML, and load it into a GPS device or mapping app. For individual lookups, see the ",[19,755,757],{"href":756},"\u002Fhow-to\u002Fsection-township-range-lookup","section township range lookup guide",[41,759,761],{"id":760},"how-to-batch-convert-with-township-canada","How to Batch Convert with Township Canada",[46,763,765],{"id":764},"step-1-prepare-your-file","Step 1: Prepare Your File",[15,767,768],{},"Create a CSV with one legal land description per row. The descriptions can be in any column — you'll select the right one after upload. If your file has headers, keep them; the converter will detect them.",[15,770,771],{},"A simple file might look like:",[773,774,779],"pre",{"className":775,"code":777,"language":778},[776],"language-text","location\n06-32-048-07W5\nNE 14-032-21W4\nSW 03-024-02W5\n11-22-034-04W4\n","text",[33,780,777],{"__ignoreMap":301},[15,782,783],{},"Mixed formats work too. DLS, LSD, NTS, and Ontario Geographic Township descriptions can all appear in the same column.",[46,785,787],{"id":786},"step-2-upload-to-the-batch-converter","Step 2: Upload to the Batch Converter",[15,789,790,791,795],{},"Go to the ",[19,792,794],{"href":793},"\u002Fapp\u002Fbatch","Township Canada batch converter"," and upload your CSV. Select the column containing the legal land descriptions. The converter previews the first few rows so you can confirm it picked the right data.",[46,797,799],{"id":798},"step-3-review-and-download-results","Step 3: Review and Download Results",[15,801,802],{},"Processing time depends on file size — a few hundred rows finish in seconds, and files with thousands of rows typically complete in under a minute. Once done, you can:",[804,805,806,812,818],"ul",{},[71,807,808,811],{},[125,809,810],{},"Preview"," results on an interactive map, with each point plotted at its GPS location",[71,813,814,817],{},[125,815,816],{},"Download"," as CSV (coordinates appended to your original data), KML, Shapefile, GeoJSON, or DXF",[71,819,820,823],{},[125,821,822],{},"Check"," the processing report for any rows that didn't match a known parcel",[15,825,826],{},"The processing report is especially useful for data cleanup. If 15 out of 2,000 rows fail, you can fix the formatting on just those 15 and re-run them rather than re-processing the entire file.",[41,828,830],{"id":829},"export-formats","Export Formats",[15,832,833],{},"The batch converter outputs in six formats, depending on where you need the data next:",[804,835,836,842,848,854,860,866],{},[71,837,838,841],{},[125,839,840],{},"CSV"," — for spreadsheets, databases, or further processing",[71,843,844,847],{},[125,845,846],{},"KML"," — for Google Earth and Google Maps",[71,849,850,853],{},[125,851,852],{},"Shapefile"," — for ArcGIS, QGIS, and other GIS platforms",[71,855,856,859],{},[125,857,858],{},"GeoJSON"," — for web maps and developer workflows",[71,861,862,865],{},[125,863,864],{},"DXF"," — for AutoCAD and CAD software",[71,867,868,871],{},[125,869,870],{},"PDF"," — for printed reports and documentation",[15,873,874,875,877,878,582],{},"Export formats beyond PDF require a ",[19,876,581],{"href":580},". For more on what you can do with downloaded results, see the ",[19,879,880],{"href":575},"download results guide",[41,882,884],{"id":883},"example-converting-a-lease-block","Example: Converting a Lease Block",[15,886,887,888,209,891,209,894,897],{},"An Alberta land department needs to convert 150 LSD locations for a lease block review near Drayton Valley. Their spreadsheet has entries like ",[33,889,890],{},"14-27-048-05W5",[33,892,893],{},"15-27-048-05W5",[33,895,896],{},"16-27-048-05W5"," — a cluster of LSDs in Township 48, Range 5, West of the 5th Meridian.",[15,899,900],{},"After uploading the CSV, the batch converter returns GPS coordinates for all 150 parcels in 12 seconds. The team downloads the results as a Shapefile, loads it into ArcGIS, and overlays it with pipeline and wellbore data. Three rows had typos (a township number that doesn't exist), which the processing report flagged for manual correction.",[41,902,904],{"id":903},"try-batch-conversion-now","Try Batch Conversion Now",[15,906,907,908,910,911,913,914,917],{},"Upload your own CSV to the ",[19,909,794],{"href":793}," and get GPS coordinates for every legal land description in your file. Or start with a single conversion — enter ",[125,912,707],{}," into the ",[19,915,916],{"href":570},"search bar"," to see how it works.",[15,919,920,921,924,925,23,929,582],{},"Batch conversion is available on ",[19,922,923],{"href":580},"Business plans",". For converting locations one at a time, see the ",[19,926,928],{"href":927},"\u002Fhow-to\u002Flsd-finder","LSD finder",[19,930,932],{"href":931},"\u002Fhow-to\u002Fdls-to-gps-converter","DLS to GPS converter",[15,934,935,936,939],{},"If your data already lives in Snowflake or Databricks, you can skip the CSV step entirely — Township Canada's ",[19,937,938],{"href":621},"Snowflake External Function"," converts DLS locations to GPS coordinates directly inside SQL queries.",[15,941,942,943,947],{},"For developers building batch conversion into their own applications, the ",[19,944,946],{"href":945},"\u002Fblog\u002Fintegrate-legal-land-description-api-canada","API integration tutorial"," covers the Batch API endpoint with code examples.",[15,949,950,951,955,956,959],{},"If your data lives in Google Sheets, the ",[19,952,954],{"href":953},"\u002Fblog\u002Fgoogle-sheets-add-on-convert-legal-land-descriptions","Township Canada Google Sheets Add-On"," converts legal land descriptions to GPS coordinates directly in your spreadsheet — type ",[33,957,958],{},"=TOWNSHIP(A1)"," in any cell or use the sidebar batch converter for up to 200 descriptions at once.",{"title":301,"searchDepth":302,"depth":302,"links":961},[962,963,964,969,970,971],{"id":697,"depth":302,"text":698},{"id":723,"depth":302,"text":724},{"id":760,"depth":302,"text":761,"children":965},[966,967,968],{"id":764,"depth":307,"text":765},{"id":786,"depth":307,"text":787},{"id":798,"depth":307,"text":799},{"id":829,"depth":302,"text":830},{"id":883,"depth":302,"text":884},{"id":903,"depth":302,"text":904},"Convert hundreds or thousands of legal land descriptions to GPS coordinates at once. Upload a CSV and get results in seconds.",[974,975,976,977,978],"batch convert legal land descriptions","bulk lsd to gps","batch lld converter","convert multiple land descriptions","csv legal land description conversion",{"system":980},"dls","alberta",{"title":682,"description":972},"learn\u002Fhow-to\u002Fbatch-convert-legal-land-descriptions","Q0bvX5JmDbZSn5Pb2GGiJI_sslAYimgigbAUQ0l55AY",{"id":986,"title":987,"body":988,"category":319,"createdAt":319,"cta":1262,"description":1265,"extension":324,"icon":319,"industry":1266,"keywords":1267,"meta":1274,"navigation":332,"path":225,"province":981,"relatedPages":1275,"section":1277,"seo":1278,"stem":1279,"systems":1280,"updatedAt":319,"__hash__":1282},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Findustries\u002Foil-and-gas.md","Legal Land Descriptions for Oil and Gas",{"type":7,"value":989,"toc":1246},[990,993,996,999,1003,1006,1012,1015,1019,1023,1026,1033,1043,1049,1053,1056,1068,1072,1079,1086,1090,1094,1101,1115,1122,1126,1129,1140,1144,1147,1150,1154,1169,1180,1186,1192,1202,1206,1209,1212,1219,1223,1231],[10,991,987],{"id":992},"legal-land-descriptions-for-oil-and-gas",[15,994,995],{},"Every well in western Canada has an address. Not a postal code or a civic number — a legal land description tied to the Dominion Land Survey grid. The Alberta Energy Regulator tracks over 672,000 wells, every one of them identified by a combination of Legal Subdivision, Section, Township, Range, and Meridian. Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the BC Peace River region use the same system. If you work in oil and gas land administration, regulatory compliance, engineering, or field operations, legal land descriptions are part of daily work.",[15,997,998],{},"This page explains how the DLS system applies to oil and gas, which survey systems matter in which regions, and how Township Canada streamlines the conversion workflows that come up constantly in this industry.",[41,1000,1002],{"id":1001},"why-legal-land-descriptions-matter-in-oil-and-gas","Why Legal Land Descriptions Matter in Oil and Gas",[15,1004,1005],{},"Regulatory bodies across western Canada use legal land descriptions as the authoritative location identifier for energy facilities. The AER in Alberta, the BC Oil and Gas Commission (BCOGC), and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy and Resources all accept — and in most cases require — DLS references in licence applications, reports, and maps.",[15,1007,1008,1009,1011],{},"A legal land description is unambiguous in a way that an address or a verbal description is not. \"Near Drayton Valley\" could mean a dozen different townships. ",[125,1010,554],{}," means exactly one 40-acre parcel, identifiable on every survey map and regulatory database in the province.",[15,1013,1014],{},"That precision matters when a well licence needs to clear a minimum distance spacing unit, when a pipeline route must avoid a licensed water source, or when a surface lease agreement needs a court-defensible boundary description.",[41,1016,1018],{"id":1017},"survey-systems-used-in-oil-and-gas","Survey Systems Used in Oil and Gas",[46,1020,1022],{"id":1021},"dls-and-lsd","DLS and LSD",[15,1024,1025],{},"The Dominion Land Survey is the primary addressing system for oil and gas in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Within the DLS, the Legal Subdivision (LSD) provides the most precise level of location — a 40-acre parcel within a 640-acre section.",[15,1027,1028,1029,1032],{},"A standard oil and gas location reference looks like ",[125,1030,1031],{},"LSD 06-22-049-11W5",": Legal Subdivision 6, Section 22, Township 49, Range 11, West of the 5th Meridian. That puts the location northwest of Rocky Mountain House. The LSD number (1–16) identifies the 40-acre quarter of a quarter section, numbered from southeast to northwest.",[15,1034,1035,1036,1039,1040,582],{},"Learn how the grid fits together at ",[19,1037,1038],{"href":21},"Understanding the DLS System"," and ",[19,1041,1042],{"href":362},"How LSDs Are Numbered",[1044,1045],"marketing-dls-grid-diagrams",{"highlighted-lsd":1046,"highlighted-quarter":1047,"highlighted-section":1048},"14","NE","27",[46,1050,1052],{"id":1051},"nts-in-british-columbia","NTS in British Columbia",[15,1054,1055],{},"BC operations east of the Rockies — Montney, Horn River, Liard Basin — often appear in both DLS (for the Peace River region) and NTS format. The BC Oil and Gas Commission accepts NTS grid references, particularly for exploration areas outside the established DLS grid.",[15,1057,1058,1059,1062,1063,1067],{},"An NTS reference like ",[125,1060,1061],{},"094B\u002F12-E"," identifies a map sheet (094B), grid block (12), and half-block (E). For field work in BC's northeast, knowing how to convert NTS references to GPS is as important as knowing the DLS system. See ",[19,1064,1066],{"href":1065},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Fnts-to-gps-converter","NTS to GPS Converter"," for a full walkthrough.",[46,1069,1071],{"id":1070},"the-unique-well-identifier-uwi","The Unique Well Identifier (UWI)",[15,1073,1074,1075,1078],{},"The UWI embeds the legal land description directly in the well name. A UWI like ",[33,1076,1077],{},"100\u002F14-27-048-05W5\u002F00"," breaks down as: event sequence prefix (100), LSD location (14-27-048-05W5), and event suffix (00). The location portion is the DLS address — pulling the GPS coordinates means converting that middle segment using the same method as any other LSD.",[15,1080,1081,1082,1085],{},"Some databases use a slash-delimited format; others compress it to ",[33,1083,1084],{},"10014270480500",". Township Canada parses both formats.",[41,1087,1089],{"id":1088},"real-world-scenarios","Real-World Scenarios",[46,1091,1093],{"id":1092},"scenario-1-well-licence-filing","Scenario 1: Well Licence Filing",[15,1095,1096,1097,1100],{},"A land administrator at a Calgary-based operator receives a new well licence application. The surface location is listed as ",[125,1098,1099],{},"LSD 09-15-062-20W5"," — a site in the Deep Basin gas area northwest of Grande Prairie. Before submitting to the AER, the team needs to:",[68,1102,1103,1106,1109,1112],{},[71,1104,1105],{},"Confirm the LSD falls within the correct Crown land block",[71,1107,1108],{},"Verify minimum distance spacing from existing wellbores",[71,1110,1111],{},"Generate GPS coordinates for the drilling contractor's navigation system",[71,1113,1114],{},"Produce a location map for the licence package",[15,1116,1117,1118,1121],{},"Enter the LSD into ",[19,1119,1120],{"href":570},"Township Canada"," and the parcel appears on the survey grid with latitude and longitude. Export the point as KML and it loads directly into the mapping software used for the licence package. The whole process takes under two minutes.",[46,1123,1125],{"id":1124},"scenario-2-pipeline-route-planning","Scenario 2: Pipeline Route Planning",[15,1127,1128],{},"A pipeline from Edson to Whitecourt covers roughly 80 kilometres and intersects dozens of sections across Ranges 14 through 19, W5M. The regulatory filing for the AER requires coordinates for every crossing point — roads, watercourses, and existing pipelines.",[15,1130,1131,1132,1135,1136,1139],{},"The engineering team pulls the route LSDs from the land system and uploads the complete list to the ",[19,1133,1134],{"href":793},"batch converter",". The result is a CSV with latitude and longitude for every point, plus a KML that loads the entire route into Google Earth for visual verification. See the ",[19,1137,1138],{"href":253},"batch conversion guide"," for step-by-step instructions on preparing large location lists.",[46,1141,1143],{"id":1142},"scenario-3-well-database-management","Scenario 3: Well Database Management",[15,1145,1146],{},"A production company acquires 140 wells from another operator. The acquisition data comes as a spreadsheet with UWIs in a legacy format — some valid, some with transposed digits, a few referencing ranges that don't exist at the given meridian.",[15,1148,1149],{},"Run the full list through batch conversion. The processing report flags every location that doesn't resolve to a valid parcel: the transposed township-range combination that places a well in an uninhabited tundra, the LSD that's outside the survey grid for that meridian, and the one where the range number was entered as letters instead of numbers. Clean the data before it goes into the production database rather than discovering the errors during an AER audit.",[41,1151,1153],{"id":1152},"how-township-canada-handles-oil-and-gas-workflows","How Township Canada Handles Oil and Gas Workflows",[15,1155,1156,1159,1160,209,1162,1165,1166,582],{},[125,1157,1158],{},"Single location lookup",": Enter any LSD in DLS format — ",[33,1161,890],{},[33,1163,1164],{},"NW 22-054-12W5",", or any other standard notation — and get GPS coordinates, a map view, and export options within seconds. Try the ",[19,1167,932],{"href":1168},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Fdls-to-gps-converter",[15,1170,1171,1174,1175,1177,1178,582],{},[125,1172,1173],{},"Batch processing",": Upload a CSV or paste a list of LSDs and convert hundreds or thousands of locations at once. Download results as CSV or KML. Available on the ",[19,1176,581],{"href":580},". Try it at ",[19,1179,793],{"href":793},[15,1181,1182,1185],{},[125,1183,1184],{},"UWI parsing",": Paste a UWI in full format and Township Canada extracts the LSD portion automatically, returning the GPS location for the surface hole.",[15,1187,1188,1191],{},[125,1189,1190],{},"Meridian verification",": Township Canada validates that the meridian and range combination is geographically possible before returning a result, catching the most common data entry errors.",[15,1193,1194,1197,1198,1201],{},[125,1195,1196],{},"Snowflake integration",": If your well data lives in Snowflake, you can convert DLS locations to GPS coordinates directly in SQL — no exports or Python scripts needed. See ",[19,1199,1200],{"href":621},"how Snowflake DLS enrichment works"," for the full walkthrough.",[41,1203,1205],{"id":1204},"the-meridian-the-most-common-source-of-errors","The Meridian — the Most Common Source of Errors",[15,1207,1208],{},"Getting the meridian wrong in an oil and gas context doesn't just produce an inaccurate map — it can put a field crew 250 kilometres from the actual wellsite. W5 is central Alberta; W4 is the Saskatchewan border. The same township-range-LSD combination at W4 instead of W5 produces a completely different location.",[15,1210,1211],{},"Always verify the meridian against the original source document. When working with legacy data, watch for records where the meridian was omitted or entered as a number without the W prefix. Township Canada requires the full meridian designation and will flag incomplete entries rather than guessing.",[15,1213,1214,1215,582],{},"For a full explanation of how meridians divide the DLS grid, see ",[19,1216,1218],{"href":1217},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Ftownship-range-meridian-explained","Township, Range, and Meridian Explained",[41,1220,1222],{"id":1221},"try-it-with-a-real-well-location","Try It with a Real Well Location",[15,1224,644,1225,913,1227,1230],{},[125,1226,890],{},[19,1228,1229],{"href":570},"Township Canada converter"," to see the result. That's a producing area parcel near Drayton Valley that appears in thousands of AER records. The converter returns the GPS coordinates, places the LSD on the survey grid, and shows surrounding parcels for context.",[15,1232,1233,1234,1237,1238,1240,1241,1243,1244,582],{},"For individual LSD lookups, use the ",[19,1235,928],{"href":1236},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Flsd-finder",". For section or quarter section searches, try the ",[19,1239,932],{"href":1168},". For bulk location files, the ",[19,1242,1134],{"href":793}," handles thousands of records on a ",[19,1245,581],{"href":580},{"title":301,"searchDepth":302,"depth":302,"links":1247},[1248,1249,1254,1259,1260,1261],{"id":1001,"depth":302,"text":1002},{"id":1017,"depth":302,"text":1018,"children":1250},[1251,1252,1253],{"id":1021,"depth":307,"text":1022},{"id":1051,"depth":307,"text":1052},{"id":1070,"depth":307,"text":1071},{"id":1088,"depth":302,"text":1089,"children":1255},[1256,1257,1258],{"id":1092,"depth":307,"text":1093},{"id":1124,"depth":307,"text":1125},{"id":1142,"depth":307,"text":1143},{"id":1152,"depth":302,"text":1153},{"id":1204,"depth":302,"text":1205},{"id":1221,"depth":302,"text":1222},{"label":1263,"href":1264},"Convert a well location now","\u002F?example=14-27-048-05W5","How oil and gas professionals use DLS, LSD, NTS, and UWI to identify well locations, plan pipeline routes, and meet AER filing requirements across western Canada.","oil-and-gas",[1268,1269,1270,1271,1272,1273],"oil and gas legal land description","well licence location","AER filing coordinates","UWI lookup","lsd to gps oil and gas","pipeline route legal land description",{},[21,362,1276,1168],"\u002Flearn\u002Fprovinces\u002Falberta","industries",{"title":987,"description":1265},"learn\u002Findustries\u002Foil-and-gas",[22,339,27,1281],"UWI","7LeRP8qiuxhKT6WmvSVd6QU-9Do-WkOW-8xlh-DdbPA"]