Q and A with the experts: Who owns the map?

Without access to high-quality, reliable spatial data, government functions and services will suffer  . Within the rapidly changing landscape of data providers, governments must address concerns over who collects and uses data to support the public interest. Dr. Peter Johnson , a geographer at the University of Waterloo, is an expert on spatial data and navigating the complexities of this evolving landscape. What's spatial data? Every time you use a service like Google Maps or order anything online for delivery, accurate and up-to-date spatial data make those services work. Location data are collected from dozens of sources, including satellite imagery, official census programs, personal mobile devices, and traditional land surveys. What's the state of spatial data control in Canada? Canada's spatial data are created, owned, used, and shared between many organizations. Governments at all levels have long been the dominant collector and provider, however, this has changed as private companies, particularly technology companies, invest in mass data collection.