Project: Assessing the Benefits and Costs of a Canadian Soil Data Portal

What is the value of open data? Making the business case for a Canadian Soil Data Portal

Soil is a critical public good that provides ecosystem services to society, as well as affecting the productivity of activities spanning agriculture, forestry, extractives, and construction. Having high-quality, up-to-date information on soil is essential for effective soil management – but in Canada, much of this data sits in private hands or in inaccessible documents. In fact, Canada is one of few high-income countries that lacks up-to-date, nationally integrated soil data. 

A network of researchers and analysts is coming together to determine the economic, social, and environmental benefits of establishing such an open-access database – and whether the business case is sound for future investment in such a publicly accessible soil data portal.

Limestone Analytics has been awarded a contract with Carleton University to explore the business case for an open-access database of soil data across Canada. Limestone’s team will assess the value of a Canadian Soil Data Portal by building on the findings from an ongoing, four-year research project: That project, which launched in 2024, supports academic researchers to determine the value that open soil data can provide to farmers, private sector insurers, the environment, and society as well as the costs of establishing and operating an open-access portal. Limestone will work alongside researchers at Carleton University, the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Alberta, and Dalhousie University to incorporate their emergent results into a robust cost-benefit analysis. The research and analysis has been supported with a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

While the value of establishing an integrated, open-access Canadian Soil Data Portal remains to be determined, there is optimism that this step could yield a net benefit to Canada’s economy, society, and environment. Limestone’s analysis should offer a business case for the establishment and maintenance of a Canadian Soil Data Portal in years to come.