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About the Census

What is the OKC Local Data Census?

The Open Knowledge Canada (OKC) Local Open Data Census is a crowdsourced measure of the current state of access to a select number of datasets in cities and municipalities across Canada.

Why do we need a local open data census?

The census provides a helpful benchmark to publishers of open data to measure their datasets against other cities and municipalities. The community can use the census to assess the degree of openness for open data in their area and support enhancing the openness of the local municipality if that’s needed.

How long does it take to complete the census?

It is estimated to take about 5 minutes to answer all the questions for one dataset.

How do I enter information for the census?

There is a tutorial included on the About page.

What questions does the census ask?

There are nine assessments/questions used to determine the openness of a dataset. The census asks, is the dataset:

In existence
Digital
Publicly available
Free of charge
Online
Machine readable
Available in bulk
Openly licensed
Up-to-date

How can the results of the OKC Local Open Data Census be used?

The census is not a comprehensive list of Canadian open datasets, nor does it aim to define what datasets are the most important to open. Instead, the census is a benchmarking tool, showcasing how specific datasets at municipalities and cities across the country rank.

How does the ranking system work?

The methodology of the Global Open Data Index is similar and provides some details.

Submitting Information to the Census

What's the Open Knowledge Canada (OKC) Local Open Data Census data collection and review process?

Contributors (typically someone at a municipal or city government) submit information about the availability (or lack) of key datasets in their city; for example, Building Permits in Toronto.
These submission become part of the census once they are submitted; however, a reviewer from the open data community in Canada will check each submission to ensure it’s accurate and up-to-date.
For edits to submissions, contributors may Propose Revisions. These revisions then appear under a city's census page as "awaiting review," until a reviewer checks the submission.

How can I improve the census information about a Canadian city?

If you have information about a dataset which isn't in the census yet, you can add it. Anyone can submit new information to the census by adding a comment or update to a current submission.

Find your city in the list of Census cities and click on it.
Click the blue “Submit Information” button on the right next to the appropriate category.
Complete the submission form based on the dataset you have found (there are detailed instructions on the form).
Click Submit. Your submission should now be visible.

How can I correct an existing entry in the census?

Anyone can submit corrections to the census. Here’s how:

Find your city in the list of census cities and click on it.
On the city overview page, click the blue “Submit Information” button on the right next to the appropriate category.
Complete the form based on the changes you want to make to the existing data.
Click Submit. Your submission is now waiting for review, and will be visible as "pending" after a few minutes.
If your corrections are approved by our panel of reviewers, they will appear on the census page.

How can I add a new Canadian city to the census?

Please contact Jury Konga to discuss adding your city or municipality to the census.