LSD vs NTS: What's the Difference?
LSD (Dominion Land Survey) and NTS (National Topographic System) are two ways to describe well locations in Western Canada. Here is how they differ and where each is used.
Western Canada uses two different systems to describe where a well or a parcel of land sits, and which one you see depends on the province. LSD codes come from the Dominion Land Survey; NTS codes come from the National Topographic System. They look different, they're built differently, and they cover different ground.
LSD — the Dominion Land Survey grid
LSD (Legal Subdivision) locations are part of the Dominion Land Survey, a ground survey that divides the land into townships, ranges, sections, and legal subdivisions. An LSD address reads from smallest unit to largest — for example 08-15-052-04W5. This is the system used across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the surveyed Peace River Block of northeastern British Columbia.
NTS — the National Topographic System
NTS is a map-sheet grid used for topographic maps across all of Canada. In the oil and gas world it's the basis for well locations in most of British Columbia, where the DLS grid was never surveyed. An NTS location works by subdividing a map sheet into progressively smaller pieces — blocks, units, and quarter units — producing a code such as d-096-E/094-A-15.
The key differences
- Where they're used. LSD covers AB, SK, MB, and the BC Peace Block; NTS covers the rest of British Columbia.
- What they're based on. LSD comes from an on-the-ground township survey; NTS comes from national topographic map sheets.
- How they read. An LSD counts up through subdivision, section, township, range, and meridian. An NTS code counts down from a map sheet through blocks and units to a quarter unit.
Which does GRID support?
GRID converts DLS/LSD codes to coordinates, including the DLS-coded Peace River Block of British Columbia. NTS-coded BC wells are not yet supported. If your location looks like 08-15-052-04W5, you're in LSD territory — head to the lookup tool and convert it. If it looks like d-096-E/094-A-15, that's an NTS location and you'll need an NTS-specific converter for now.
Learn more
For the fundamentals, see what a Legal Subdivision is and how to convert an LSD to GPS coordinates.
Try it now
Convert a Legal Subdivision to survey-accurate coordinates in your browser — free, no account needed.