OpenNorth - Research Lab

Our key areas of expertise

Open Smart Cities

Data Governance and Management

Data-Sharing and Data Partnerships

Data-Driven Public Engagement

Digital Inclusion and Data Literacy

Open Government and Open Data

AI Ethics and Governance

Open Procurement

Our Integrated Service Delivery Model

Research

We conduct research and analysis to deliver actionable insights, relevant best practices and tailored policy recommendations on the responsible and ethical use of data & tech. We research issues such as consent & privacy, data partnerships, control, access and ownership, throughout the entire lifespan of data.

Capacity-building

We strengthen our partners’ and clients’ skills and understanding of data and tech through data literacy training, advisory support about industry standards and practices, online learning, champions coaching and knowledge mobilization.

Solution design & Implementation

We advise and work alongside organizations and across sectors, providing personalized problem-solving approaches, market intelligence research and trusted stakeholder engagement processes to manage data, procure and implement technology or solve complex problems.

Network & Collaboration

We cultivate peer-to-peer networking on data & tech, both nationally and globally, to magnify our collective impact. We build communities of practice and connect public administrators, researchers, civic leaders and leading thinkers & practitioners.

Our clients come from all over the world.

Municipalities of all sizes eager to build open smart cities in the public interest

Governments and public administrations across the globe, hungry for open data and ready to engage their stakeholders in building more resilient democracies

Research consortiums and communities interested in exploring new data & AI governance and document ethical and responsible use of data & tech

International and civil society organizations willing to mobilize knowledge, transfer skills and build capacity around data & tech to empower communities

Sectoral and multistakeholder initiatives wanting to leverage data-sharing and augmented data management to increase their capacity to deliver public good

At your service

When you work with Open North, you get to engage with two amazing teams:

The Applied Research Lab

Our interdisciplinary team of researchers takes on complex and systemic issues to develop actionable knowledge for a variety of stakeholders interested in harnessing data and tech in the public interest. We bring a critical mindset to the table, developing evidence-based solutions and recommendations in support of our partners and clients.

Learn More

The Advisory Service

Our experienced and diverse team of advisors supports municipalities and organizations of all sizes across Canada on a range of data and tech issues. We work alongside our partners’ teams to assess their needs, define problems, mobilize research and knowledge, design solutions and support their implementation.

Learn More