Disappointed to see RSS job bank access has been dropped in favour of a clunky GUI.
Site improvements – nearly invisible, but worth noting
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October 17, 2016
You may have noticed a change to our site’s landing page this week: there’s only one search window now instead of searches for “open data,” “open information,” and “open government.” While it may seem minor, it is the result of months of work done behind the scenes. Here’s why it’s such a big deal: to be a single window into a variety of Government of Canada information and data holdings, we needed a common framework, properly called a metadata schema, for information that’s both structured (i.e., datasets) and unstructured (what we usually call “digital resources,” like reports and research).
These changes came from you – we’re always happy when we can be responsive to the people who use our site! The division between data and information is sometimes blurry, and you shouldn’t have to worry about which it is when you first get to open.canada.ca – you should just find what you’re looking for. Now data and information featured on our site will have the same descriptive information, so you can filter not only by organization, but by keywords, subject, format and more.
This marks the end of the pilot phase of our open information portal. We are now replacing the pilot with a better tool, and rebuilding the collection of documents. The first step is a higher standard for metadata – i.e., the contextual information that makes it easier for you to both search for information and to understand what you are getting before you download it. So while we’re starting with fewer information resources, this will mean better information and data that’s easier to find. As well, don’t forget that you can still find any documents that haven’t yet been relisted by visiting the original sources (e.g., Government of Canada Publications and Collections Canada).
All told, this is one part of our work to build a solid foundation for a better user experience, with improved access to higher-quality information. Our work will help make sure that there’s no wrong door to government information.
The Open Government Team
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Read the Privacy Statement for this Website.
The collection and use of your personal information is authorized by the section 7 of the Financial Administrative Act. Collection and use of your personal information for data.gc.ca is in accordance with the federal Privacy Act. Your personal information is used to respond to your inquiries, if applicable, and may be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in responding to client needs. In exceptional circumstances (e.g., investigation of hackers, or of individuals who make abusive remarks or threats, etc.), personal information may be disclosed without your consent pursuant to subsection 8(2) of the Privacy Act.
Any personal information that may be collected is described in the Standard Personal Information Bank entitled Public Communications, PSU 914, which can be found in the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) publication: InfoSource. The personal information collected will only be kept by TBS for a period of eighteen months of the completion of activity after which all personal identifiers will be deleted.
Under the Privacy Act, you have the right of access to, and correction of, your personal information, if you have provided any. Note however, that to exercise either of these rights, you must make a request for access to your personal information before the retention period has expired. For more information about your right of access, please read About the Access to information Program.
If you require clarification about this Statement, contact the TBS Privacy Coordinator at 613-957-7154. For more information about your privacy rights and the Privacy Act, consult the Privacy Commissioner through the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada website or 1-800-282-1376.
Thank you for your comment. We are continuously trying to improve our portal and your feedback is important to us.
Regards,
Momin, from the Open Government team.
hi!
Hey - it looks like the link to the metadata schema is broken. We get the message 'Dataset Deleted - This record has been removed from Open.canada.ca.' Thanks
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