About the Open Science and Data Platform
The Open Science and Data Platform provides access to science, data, publications and information about development activities across the country that can be used to understand the cumulative effects of human activities to support better decisions in the future.
Our goal is:
- To provide access to data, scientific publications, and information about development activities in Canada.
- To help Canadians learn about cumulative effects and development activities in their communities.
- To support impact and cumulative effects assessments as well as regulatory efficiency.
- To assist in meeting the goals of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy.
Open Government
As a member of the Open Government Partnership, Canada releases National Action Plans on Open Government. These plans set the direction for open government in Canada and outline specific and concrete changes to advance transparency, integrity, accountability, and public participation across government. The Open Science and Data Platform is highlighted in the 2022-2024 National Action Plan in terms of making information related to cumulative effects easier for Canadians to find and understand. As part of this commitment, user engagement and feedback are applied to guide priorities for the Platform’s development and content.
Open Science and Data Platform Feedback Survey
Natural Resources Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada ensure that user feedback is collected to inform design, delivery and continuous improvement of the Open Science and Data Platform.
View user survey summary reports:
- October 2024 to December 2024
- July 2024 to September 2024
- April 2024 to June 2024
- January 2024 to March 2024
- October 2023 to December 2023
- June 2023 to September 2023
- March 2023 to May 2023
- December 2022 to February 2023
- September 2022 to November 2022
- May 2022 to August 2022
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the Open Science and Data Platform created?
Following a comprehensive review of federal environmental and regulatory processes in 2016, the Government of Canada proposed an open science and data platform to access and integrate the available science and evidence that supports these important processes. Launched in 2021 and co-led by Natural Resources Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Open Science and Data Platform provides Canadians with a single point of access to authoritative scientific publications, geospatial data and regulatory information, which can provide useful information in the understanding of cumulative effects and development activities across Canada.
Who is the Open Science and Data Platform for?
The Open Science and Data Platform (OSDP) was created with several key user groups in mind. The key target users for the OSDP are those involved in the environmental and impact assessment of cumulative effects and regulatory efficiencies as it relates to a proposed project or a geographic region (e.g., proponents leading assessments, Indigenous groups reviewing proponent’s assessments), or other users that may be interested in cumulative effects for academic or general purposes.
Target users include both expert audiences, who are seeking highly technical information that they can download and analyze, and general audiences, who are seeking to learn, understand, and participate in decision making and planning processes. As such, the OSDP strives to meet the needs of both technical and general users. We are continually learning more about our user groups and their individual needs through feedback. To provide feedback on the OSDP, please complete the OSDP User Feedback Survey.
Where does the information come from?
There are many federal, provincial and territorial government contributors to the Open Science and Data Platform. The information available will evolve as we continue to connect with additional data holders to ensure we are providing access to the best available information relevant to cumulative effects and development activities in Canada.
What sets the Open Science and Data Platform apart from other federal open data systems?
As a digital information service platform which aggregates data from federal, provincial, and territorial systems, the OSDP offers single window access to thousands of records relevant to cumulative effects, making it unique to other federal open data repositories. In addition to government scientific publications, geospatial data and regulatory information, the OSDP also offers curated collections, including thematic and regional collections allowing users to easily access relevant content for many regions of interest. Users can layer geospatial datasets in the Platform’s map viewer which provides a comprehensive picture of cumulative effects at a regional scale.
How often are items on the Open Science and Data Platform updated?
All content providers host their own content, while the Open Science and Data Platform hosts the metadata (information about the source) on the Platform. As such, the content accessible on the Platform is always the latest the contributor has to offer on a close to real-time basis.
Metadata is updated through regular and timely Automated Programming Interface (API) calls to various contributor systems (e.g., the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada’s Public Registry, Navigable Waters Act Registry from Transport Canada, Fisheries Act Registry from the Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Natural Resources Canada’s Open Science and Technology Repository and GeoDiscovery Data Catalogue, etc.) so that users can trust that content accessed through the OSDP is current and updated directly from its source.
How can I report a bug, error, or content gap on OSDP?
To report an issue encountered on the OSDP, users are encouraged to complete the OSDP User Feedback Survey. When reporting bugs, errors, and/or content gaps, users are encouraged to be as specific as possible to help the OSDP team respond to and remedy the issue. To contact the OSDP team directly, email us at osdp-psdo@nrcan.gc.ca.