Remote Access to Archaeological Data (RAAD)

If you have switched companies or discontinued your former work email address, you will have to contact your company's BCeID administrator or the BCeID helpdesk to create a new Business BCeID and then request access from us again. When you do this, you MUST choose a Business BCeID Username that is different from your previous usernames. If you do not, we will reject your application with instructions to reapply when you have done so.

If you have a different Business BCeID than the one you were initially approved for access with, you will have to request access from us again so that we can confirm you are still eligible and relink your permissions.

For IDIRs, the same applies only in the rare case that you have had to change your IDIR username or email address (not just your password).

If you haven't been active for several years but have the same valid Business BCeID or IDIR, you may be locked out because both PARL and RAAD have been upgraded and require our users to accept different terms and conditions than they did previously. If you haven't used our systems since January 2019, you will have to request access from us again.

If none of these are the case, please contact your company's BCeID administrator, or the BCeID helpdesk. If they are unable to fix it and instead create a new Business BCeID to remedy the situation, you will have to submit a new Archaeological Information Sharing Agreement for us to reissue your permissions.

Sometimes your web browser will hold onto the last version of a page you tried to visit in its cache. Please press the F5 button, or hold down the Fn button while you press F5 to force your web browser to refresh the page. 

The issue may be that the layer is set to solid and not opaque. To resolve this, click on the layer group that is obscuring the view, and move the transparency slider.

Consultation area geometries are not viewable in public map services. Consultation areas contain information that may be considered sensitive to First Nations. 

However, there is a public map service called Contacts for First Nation Consultation Areas that enables the public to retrieve First Nation contact information for a selected geographic area. This user guide (PDF 303 KB) explains how to use the service.

Please contact the First Nation directly for further information about their consultation area.

If you're looking for information on an area and can't find everything you need in RAAD (e.g., AIAs, AOAs), you can submit an online Archaeological Information Request Form. Before you do, please review these 10 conditions that explain who you can legally share the information with, and what the data can be used for.

This service is free of charge, and a response will typically be returned within 1-3 weeks. For faster service, a professional consulting archaeologist can also provide you with the information you require.

Please submit an information request for your area of interest if you are unable to download a large number of sites. Please include a shapefile set or kmz/kml with your request.

Sometimes, the internet browser that you are using can block downloads for a variety of reasons. 

1) Make sure that you are not using the Internet Explorer (IE) browser. IE is no longer a supported browser and should no longer be used to access RAAD.

2) If you are trying to do a bulk download in Chrome, a popup may appear asking if you allow Chrome to download multiple files. Click the 'Allow' button and the rest of your downloads should start. If the window has closed or you accidentally closed it, hit the download button again and it will reappear.

3) See if you can download the files using another web browser like Chrome, Edge, or Firefox.

4) If you can't download them in any browser, check if you're using an ad blocker or popup blocker in your browsers. If you are, disable them for the RAAD page and try again. 

5) If disabling your ad blockers and popup blockers didn't work, check the Systems News page for any work that may be in progress.

6) If none of the above solutions have worked, please email archaeology@gov.bc.ca with a description of the issue, and the answers to the following questions:

        a) ​Are you on a Mac or a PC?
        b) What internet browser are you using?
        c) What other browsers have to tried to download files in?
        d) What happens when you try to download them? If there is an error message, include a screenshot.
        e) Do you have popup blockers or ad blockers installed?

In the top-right corner of the RAAD map window, click on the icon that shows three stacked layers. Expand the "Archaeology/Heritage" section. Make sure the boxes next to Archaeological Sites, and both Heritage Site layers are checked.

A user guide is available in the RAAD application itself. It is called "RAAD Help" and is located in the top-right corner of your screen when you are logged into RAAD. Detailed solutions are available in-application through this help file, and instructions about who to contact if you can't find a solution are available there too.

The Archaeology Branch is also currently taking the names of users that may be interested in future RAAD training. If you are, please email archdatarequest@gov.bc.ca with:

• the subject line "RAAD Training Request" 
• your full name
• your company or affiliation
• your contact information
• your level of experience with RAAD (beginner, intermediate, expert)

A fix for this bug was released April 26, 2022. If you continue to experience this issue, please report it to archeaology@gov.bc.ca. 

Downloaded shapefiles can be fixed by using the ArcGIS Repair Geometry Tool:

https://desktop.arcgis.com/en/arcmap/10.3/tools/data-management-toolbox/repair-geometry.htm

This is a known issue, and a fix has been requested. In the meantime, a workaround has been established:

When measuring an AOI, open the measuring tool before importing the AOI. If you don't open it prior to file import, the measuring tool will not function as expected.

Please log in to RAAD, and click on the "RAAD Help" button in the top-right corner of the screen. Detailed solutions are available in-application through this help file, and instructions about who to contact if you can't find a solution are available there too.