In 2006, British mathematician Clive Humby declared that data was the new oil.  Soon after there was a significant rush around the world to embrace a data revolution to try and improve humanity’s social, economic and environmental well being.  Twenty-years later, the hard work of data continues.  Like Canadian oil and gas, it is for the most part – a landlocked asset; unable to push us to the next levels of productivity and innovation.    

This keynote looks at how Canada is at a data and technology crossroads and why geospatial and building information data require immediate attention and the kind of infrastructure investments needed in order for Canada to compete in the global data economy.