Open data can come from a wide variety of sources, but two common types are research data and government data.

Open research data can be found in research data repositories hosted by universities or research organizations. The Registry of Research Data Repositories is a searchable database of research data repositories, most of them open. The Lunaris search tool can help you find data held in both university and government repositories in Canada. A list of large research data repositories can be found on the Statistics and Data Subject Guide.

Government data is often searchable through open government websites. Government open data websites can be found at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels. To find open government data, consider which level of government is responsible for the data you are seeking and search in the appropriate repository. Some government departments also release data through their own websites.

For more sources of government data, see the Statistics and Data Subject Guide and browse the available links by region or topic.