Five reasons to pay attention to Canada's new open data portal

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With the launch of a new "open data" portal yesterday, Canadians now have more government information at their fingertips than any point in history. The website contains more than 186,000 datasets, giving researchers and app developers access to everything from motor vehicle collisions over the last 13 years to weekly chicken export reports.

Here are five reasons you should pay close attention to this movement.

1. It could improve Harper's transparency image

For the Conservative government, the portal means improving the image of transparency, without having to become much more transparent.

Over the coming year, 106 federal departments will begin publishing datasets online "by default," rather than picking and choosing data and releasing it separately on each department's website, according to the Action Plan on Open Data.

"Unless there is a national security concern, or a legislative impediment, or a privacy issue, all other data will be shared," said Treasury Board President Tony Clement in a Google hangout with The Globe.

In reality, however, the government will likely remain a gatekeeper to good data. Open data portals typically attract a lot of dull data, while most of what is released is simplified beyond reason. When Alberta released their open data portal, data advocates attacked inane releases like the physical condition of its highways: a spreadsheet with just three percentages describing the overall health of the province's entire highway network. The same can be said for much of the federal open data catalogue, like information on Canadian Internet use that lumps the country into two groups: "Canada" and "urban."

2. There will be apps

At the municipal and provincial level, open data has already resulted in a treasure trove of apps using previously cloistered data, like several transportation apps tracking bus GPS locations. A new license gives app developers easier access to redistribute the data and even make a little money.

"This could really take off from an entrepreneurial perspective," Mr. Clement told The Globe earlier this week.

A fervent app community already exists on the U.S. government's open data portal, with apps that track tornado warnings and the President's day-to-day activities.

3. Data exists about your industry

Government datasets touch on everything from farming to transportation, energy to health. While some of it may seem dull to the layman, the government is hoping the private sector will use the data for "wealth creation," according to Mr. Clement. Since many departments are only starting to get on board with open data, savvy business folk will actively watch the evolving archive for new data on their sector.

4. You can't afford to ignore data anymore

Society has already entered the age of Big Data, but many are still catching up. Much of this attention has been on the private sector, with data coming from a litany of sources like POS terminals, membership programs and websites. Companies are trying to play catch up, moving from simply managing the influx of data to actively analyzing it for trends and insights.

If your business is not already establishing ways to manage the data around you, you'll have a hard time playing catch up — especially with the deluge of data coming from all levels of government.

5. The battle for open data is only beginning

The portal is a good first step, but it's unlikely Canada's open data website will achieve true openness.

The issue is usually completeness. For example, Canada Border Services Agency released only one dataset: border crossing wait times. This will become a handy app some time soon, according to Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. But there are surely more interesting data at hand. What about a list of items seized by CBSA officers, which could include drugs, guns or other nefarious items? We're not likely to see datasets like this released proactively, so "open" remains a suspicious term to describe the portal.

That's why open data is more of a symbolic victory for data advocates — at least for now. It signals a growing shift towards openness that may reverberate through government as Big Data continues to buzz its way into day-to-day lives.

Want to keep track of new releases on the open data portal? Bookmark this page or review the list below. It shows the most recent additions, updates and deletions to the archive.