Finding the undiscoverable: Evaluating access-limited Canadian data sources to improve discovery and access

While Canada continues to make strides towards improving the discovery of research data, many datasets with potential research value remain difficult to find and access due to their sensitive nature, or because custodians lack the infrastructure and/or resources to make them discoverable.

Portage’s Access-Limited Data Discovery Working Group was developed to identify and review access-limited data in Canada that may be used for research; this project defines access-limited data as those that are not immediately accessible or for which access or discovery is limited, including data which are conditionally available or lack infrastructure for discovery and access. At present, the working group is scoping the landscape of these data in Canada (with an initial focus on health data); identifying barriers to their discoverability and accessibility; and developing recommendations for a national approach to making access-limited data more discoverable. This session will provide an update on the group’s progress to date, and seek feedback from attendees on this ambitious cross-sector endeavour.