Policies Public-facing policies
Open Data Policy
What aggregated and anonymized data Map.ca releases as open data, with what license, and what stays out.
- Version
- 0.1.0
- Effective
- May 20, 2026
- Last reviewed
- May 20, 2026
- Review cycle
- every 12 months
- Master Policy Index entry
- §4 #69
Policy text
Open data is a community contribution, not a marketing exercise. The Open Data Policy defines what categories of Map.ca data can be released openly (aggregated civic-response metrics, anonymized usage statistics, taxonomy and tag structures, public-Pin geometries that owners have opted in to), the aggregation thresholds that prevent re-identification, the license under which open data is released, and the categories that never leave the platform regardless of how aggregated (sensitive locations, civic reports involving people, Indigenous community data without consent).
It applies to the Map.ca data team, external researchers and civic-data users, and Indigenous communities whose data touches the open-data pipeline.
Principles this policy enforces
- Collect less, protect more
- Public data and personal data are not the same thing
- Indigenous data sovereignty is foundational
- Community benefit must survive scale
What it requires
- Aggregate open-data releases to a threshold that prevents re-identification.
- Use a published, permissive open-data license.
- Honour Indigenous community consent on any dataset that touches Indigenous data.
- Publish a data-release log so reviewers can track what has gone out.
What it forbids
- Do not openly release individual-level civic reports.
- Do not openly release datasets that can re-identify users.
- Do not release Indigenous-touching data without community consent.
- Do not release sensitive-location data, no matter how aggregated.
How it applies
- Map.ca data team
- Researchers and civic-data users
- Indigenous communities whose data is involved
- Open-data consumers
References
- Map.ca Policy Constitution §2 principle 8
- Map.ca Policy Constitution §2 principle 9
Related policies
Civic Data Sharing Policy
Defines what civic data can be shared with municipalities, what is public, what is private, and what requires consent.
Data Licensing Policy
How Map.ca data is licensed to partners, researchers, and the public — and what is never licensed at any price.
Indigenous Data Sovereignty Policy
How Map.ca handles Indigenous community data, cultural places, traditional knowledge, names, language, heritage, and map layers.
Sensitive Location Data Policy
Protects homes, shelters, children’s programs, places of worship, support services, vulnerable populations, and safety-sensitive locations.