Open data is data that is freely available for anyone to access, use, modify, and share — without restrictions beyond attribution or share-alike requirements.
The concept is simple but powerful: when governments, institutions, and organizations publish their data openly, it can be used by researchers, journalists, businesses, developers, and citizens to create value that the original publisher never anticipated.
What Makes Data "Open"?
For data to be truly open, it needs to meet several criteria:
- Freely accessible — available at no cost, without requiring registration or approval
- Machine-readable — in a format that software can process (CSV, JSON, XML — not just a PDF)
- Licensed for reuse — with a clear licence that permits use, modification, and redistribution
- Non-discriminatory — available to everyone, not just specific groups
Not all public data is open data. A government report published as a PDF is public — you can read it — but it's not open data because it's not machine-readable and may not have a clear reuse licence. Open data is specifically designed for reuse.
Who Publishes Open Data?
In Canada, the biggest publishers of open data are governments at all levels:
- The federal government publishes thousands of datasets at open.canada.ca
- Every province has an open data portal
- Hundreds of municipalities publish local data on transit, permits, parks, and more
Beyond government, universities, research institutions, and some private companies also publish open data.
What Kind of Data Is Published?
Canadian open data covers an enormous range of topics: population statistics, weather data, transit schedules, business licences, property assessments, election results, environmental monitoring, health statistics, and much more.
Learn about the concrete benefits of open data in Benefits of Open Data.