About the Open Science and Data Platform
The Open Science and Data Platform (OSDP) is a single-window digital tool designed to share authoritative and location-based science, data and regulatory information. It connects users to thousands of curated datasets, maps, environmental monitoring data and indicators, peer-reviewed science articles, impact assessments, and regulatory records. For major project proponents, the OSDP can support early planning and help align project proposals with regulatory expectations. It also improves transparency, builds trust in the regulatory process, and enables more meaningful participation by Indigenous communities and the public.
Our goal is to:
- provide access to project-level, regional and national datasets and publications from federal, provincial and territorial governments that are relevant to project planning in impact assessment;
- help Canadians learn about how the cumulative effects of development activities can affect their communities over time; and
- facilitate faster, more efficient regulatory reviews by centralizing data and making it easier to access and interpret.
Open Government
Canada is part of the Open Government Partnership. This means the government must work with civil society and the public to develop National Action Plans on Open Government every two to four years. These plans set the direction for open government in Canada and outline specific changes to advance transparency, integrity, accountability and public participation across the government.
The Open Science and Data Platform was included in Canada's National Action Plan on Open Government 2022-24 under the theme of Climate change and sustainable growth.
Feedback survey
Natural Resources Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada collect user feedback to inform improvement of the platform.
User survey summary reports:
- July 2025 to September 2025
- April 2025 to June 2025
- January 2025 to March 2025
- 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
Additional resources
Red Tape Review: Natural Resources Canada’s Progress Report
National Action Plan on Open Government
National Action Plan on Open Government 2022-24
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.