In May, the DataStream team gathered in Toronto for the 66th Annual Conference on Great Lakes Research, hosted by the International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR).
Keep Reading A week at the International Association for Great Lakes Research Conference
As part of our ongoing staff feature series, we are thrilled to profile DataStream’s Operations Coordinator, Lilian Tran!
Keep Reading Meet our team: Lilian Tran
In 2021, Living Lakes Canada launched the National Lake Blitz. The water stewardship organization had two goals: to help track the impact of climate change on Canada’s lakes and to make it easy for everyone to get involved in water monitoring, no matter their age or experience.
Keep Reading National Lake Blitz makes citizen science a cinch
DataStream is seeking a Data Specialist to support the continued growth of DataStream in all hubs, with a focus on expansion in Quebec.
Keep Reading Job Posting: Environmental Data Specialist
Isotope data can be complex, and formatting isotope data can be a daunting task. That’s why we are so excited to release our new DataStream Guide: Best Practices for Reporting Isotope Data. The goal of the document is to support a consistent approach when handling isotope data.
Keep Reading Freshwater Fingerprints: DataStream’s New guide for Reporting Isotope Data
In watersheds across Canada, temperatures are rising, rainfall patterns are shifting, and storms are hitting harder and more frequently. We’re seeing more droughts, floods, runoff and algal blooms. And the pace of climate change just keeps accelerating.
Keep Reading Climate change is accelerating. And smart responses depend on good data.
DataStream’s open access platform provides a place to share and access water quality data collected by diverse organizations across the country.
Keep Reading Five ways open data helps protect freshwater
We want to hear from you! Take part in DataStream’s feedback survey
Keep Reading We want to hear from you! Take part in DataStream’s feedback survey The DataStream team continues to grow and we are thrilled to welcome Aislin Livingstone, Program Manager.
Keep Reading Water Program Manager joins DataStream team! We got a lot done in 2022! Thank you to our partners, collaborators, and everyone monitoring their waters and sharing data!
Keep Reading 2022: DataStream's Year in Review
This October, DataStream was fortunate to take part in the annual Wəlastəkw | fleuve Saint-Jean | St. John River Summit.
Keep Reading Collaboration and restoration at the heart of this year’s Wəlastəkw | fleuve Saint-Jean | St. John River Summit The DataStream team continues to grow and we are thrilled to welcome Nell Libera, Data Specialist.
Keep Reading Data Specialist joins DataStream team! Funding isn’t flowing: ending dry spell for freshwater action, is an op-ed published by the Hill Times by water monitoring leaders including Carolyn DuBois of DataStream.
Keep Reading Funding isn’t flowing: ending dry spell for freshwater action to Lindsay Day, DataStream’s Program Manager, receives the Water’s Next Award in the Non-Government Leader category as part of the 13th annual Canadian Water Summit.
Keep Reading Lindsay Day receives Water's Next Award
Today, Atlantic salmon are in hot water — literally and figuratively. Climate change and deforestation are raising the temperature of many watersheds in Quebec and Atlantic Canada. And that’s bad news for these cold-blooded creatures that already face a slew of other pressures.
Keep Reading RivTemp: Tracking temperatures for the sake of salmon
Groundwater is a vitally important resource, one that is often overlooked in freshwater management. Despite its importance, in Canada we know relatively little about how groundwater behaves, its quality, or how the quality and quantity have changed over time. This is why groundwater quality is the next data type that DataStream is actively working on adding to our open data platform.
Keep Reading Groundwater data: Out of sight, out of mind? Carolyn DuBois, DataStream’s Executive Director, has been awarded a 2022 Report on Business magazine Changemakers award.
Keep Reading Carolyn DuBois receives Changemakers award The Gordon Foundation is seeking a Back End Developer to support the growth and development of DataStream, an online, open access platform for sharing water data.
Keep Reading Job Posting: Senior Back End Developer We got a lot done in 2021! Thank you to our partners, collaborators, and everyone monitoring their waters and sharing data!
Keep Reading 2021: DataStream's Year in Review
DataStream is excited to announce the beta version release of our new Custom Download tool! As the amount of data being shared on DataStream continues to grow, so too have requests for the ability to access specific subsets of data (e.g., all arsenic data in a given region) across multiple datasets. This tool is designed to do just that.
Keep Reading NEW FEATURE: Custom Download Tool
How can local efforts be optimized to restore fish habitat in Nova Scotia? This is the question that the Nova Scotia Salmon Association (NSSA)set out to try and answer when they began their Water Assessment Towards Ecological Recovery (W.A.T.E.R.) project. The goal of this four-year project funded by DFO’s Nature Fund, which began in 2019, is to create Watershed Plans for 13 watersheds in Nova Scotia. Regional organizations can then follow these plans to maximize their habitat restoration efforts and ensure they are targeting key areas.
Keep Reading NSSA W.A.T.E.R. Project Working to Improve Restoration Efforts in Nova Scotia
We are delighted to announce that we are partnering with RBC through Tech for Nature, to help drive the expansion of DataStream. DataStream, an open access platform for sharing water data, currently operates in three regions--the Mackenzie basin, Atlantic Canada, and the Lake Winnipeg basin. The RBC Tech for Nature donation from the RBC Foundation is a multi-year commitment that will allow DataStream to expand across the country. Beginning in the Great Lakes, our proven model will grow to support a nationwide, innovation ecosystem. This is the latest stage in a long-term, highly productive partnership between DataStream and RBC. RBC Foundation has played an integral role in DataStream’s growth by contributing to the design and development of the blockchain technology that is integrated with the platform. Blockchain technology enables DataStream to bring a new level of data security and transparency to water monitoring data in Canada. DataStream’s use of blockchain technology provides a way for people to verify that the data they are accessing on the platform is the same data that was originally uploaded and that it hasn’t been altered or tampered with. Blockchain diagram from here: https://lakewinnipegdatastream.ca/en/article/blockchain-and-datastream RBC Tech for Nature supports new ideas, technologies, and partnerships to solve pressing environmental challenges. Learn more at rbc.com/techfornature.
Keep Reading DataStream teams up with RBC Tech for Nature
As a water researcher at the University of Waterloo, Dr. Nandita Basu creates models to help answer big questions. How well do wetlands protect against algal blooms? Where are the biggest hotspots for agricultural runoff? How is climate change affecting water quality? DataStream promises to make life easier for Basu and her colleagues. In fall 2021, the release of the latest regional hub, Great Lakes DataStream, will bring together water quality datasets throughout the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Basin in a standardized format.
Keep Reading Using big data to answer big questions
An exciting collaboration that began in the Great Lakes will make it easier for Water Rangers testers anywhere to share data on DataStream. Water Rangers equip communities throughout Canada with the tools to actively monitor and manage their waters. Now, through a new hub-to-hub connection, anyone in the Water Rangers network can increase the visibility and impact of their data by sharing it on DataStream as well.
Keep Reading DataStream and Water Rangers team up to accelerate data sharing
With continued DataStream growth and expansion into the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence regions our team continues to grow too! We are thrilled to have Cristina Cismasu join us as the new Data Specialist based out of Quebec.
Keep Reading Data Specialist joins DataStream team! DataStream’s Dive into Data webinar series is back for 2021! Following the success of last year’s sessions, the Dive into Data webinars will provide an opportunity to brush up on your data management skills, while connecting with other water data users.
Keep Reading Dive into Data Webinar series returns
What happens to water data after it has been collected by community monitoring groups? That is the driving question behind a Nova Scotia-focused research project that brought together academic, community and government voices. Led by Alice Cohen out of Acadia University in collaboration with Coastal Action and the Atlantic Water Network, and supported by the Change Lab Action Research Initiative (https://actionresearch.ca/), the research project included a workshop, interviews and online webinar, with a recent report summarizing the key findings.
Keep Reading How is community collected water data getting used? DataStream’s new how-to video series provides guidance on using the open-access platform to publish and explore water monitoring data. The first four videos walk data stewards through various steps of the process, beginning with how to upload and update datasets:
Keep Reading DataStream’s New How-To Video Series
A new online tool helps explain how water quality is measured and why it matters. The illustrated guide provides an introduction to some of the most important and commonly monitored aspects of water quality, including: physical properties, such as water clarity, pH and temperature chemical substances, like nutrients, metals, minerals and pollutants from human activity, and; biological characteristics, including coliform bacteria and chlorophyll
Keep Reading DataStream Launches New Interactive Guide to Water Quality
Recommendations that address how the federal government can strategically support community-based water monitoring (CBWM) efforts across Canada are now available in English and French. The Elevating Community-Based Water Monitoring in Canada documents were produced by The Gordon Foundation (who lead DataStream at the national level), Living Lakes Canada, and WWF-Canada, following a collaborative dialogue convened by the three organizations.
Keep Reading Community-based water monitoring roundtable documents now available in French 2020 was a big year for us. Thanks to all who continued monitoring waters and getting the data out there!
Keep Reading 2020: DataStream's Year in Review With continued DataStream growth and expansion into the Lake Winnipeg watershed, our team continues to grow too! We are thrilled to have Mary Kruk join us as the new Water Data Specialist based out of Calgary, Alberta.
Keep Reading Water Data Specialist joins DataStream team!
The recently released WWF Canada 2020 Watershed Reports provide a national assessment of Canada’s freshwater. WWF Canada was able to efficiently draw on community based water monitoring (CBWM) data thanks to DataStream. Although the report shows the health of 60% of watersheds is unknown, there has been significant progress since the last assessment in 2017, with ten additional watersheds receiving a score. DataStream is designed to support communities driving the data-to-policy cycle so it is exciting to see that DataStream is playing a role in improving data access and putting community generated data on the map, so that it can be used in regional and national scale assessments and ultimately support decision-making.
Keep Reading DataStream Data Informs Assessment of Freshwater Health
DataStream’s visualization tool enables users to apply national water quality guidelines to datasets. Some key guidelines used by DataStream include the Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life which serve as national standards set by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME). These guidelines provide recommended ranges for some of the physical, chemical and biological characteristics that are commonly monitored in rivers, lakes, and oceans.
Keep Reading National Water Quality Guidelines on DataStream
For the Prince Edward Island Watershed Alliance (PEIWA) the benefits of being based in a small province are clear. “We can be really interconnected, and we can facilitate working together” explains Angela Banks, Project Manager at the Alliance, “when it comes to data management and equipment sharing and stuff like that it’s been really, really helpful to have that umbrella organization.”
Keep Reading Community Based Monitoring in Action – The PEI Watershed Alliance
“Be the water bottle”. That’s the message from DataStream Data Specialist Patrick LeClair in this practical demonstration of what good data management looks like, taken from the recent Data Management Best Practices webinar. Wondering what he could possibly mean? Patrick uses two vastly different water samples, a cloudy concoction and a transparent liquid, to depict data while their containers - a hard to access box and an easily opened water bottle respectively - represent databases.
Keep Reading Be the Water Bottle: Demonstrating Good Data Management
Technology has helped facilitate the growth of data sharing and the rise of open data – a movement that DataStream is proud to be part of. In this post we take a look at two important and complementary sets of guiding principles that underpin best practices when it comes to data stewardship and access.
Keep Reading FAIR and CARE Data Principles
DataStream’s new Upload Template (v2.0) makes it easier for data stewards to format data while allowing for new data types like sediment.
Keep Reading New DataStream Upload Template (v2.0)
We are pleased to announce that DataStream now offers a bilingual site for sharing and accessing water quality data in Canada. All website content is now available in French, across the Mackenzie DataStream, Atlantic DataStream, and Lake Winnipeg DataStream hubs.
Keep Reading DataStream en Français
The creation of a Canada Water Agency, mandated by the federal government last year, is a unique opportunity to improve freshwater stewardship in this country. DataStream's Carolyn DuBois and Mathew McCandless of IISD Experimental Lakes Area contribute to ongoing discussions about the role of the agency.
Keep Reading The Canada Water Agency must tap into the sector's innovations
We’re excited to launch a new Dive into Data webinar series to explore the (sometimes complicated) always exciting world of water data!
Keep Reading Dive into Data Webinar Series
The publication of an open data standard is enabling valuable freshwater data to be organized, accessed, and shared in a harmonized way. This data standard underpins DataStream, a growing online platform for sharing water data collected by Canada’s diverse water monitoring and research community.
Keep Reading DataStream Publishes Open Data Standard to Support Water Science
A key element of freshwater conservation is knowing where to prioritize ecosystem restoration and preservation efforts. With the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC) Freshwater Conservation Blueprint this just got easier in eastern Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Keep Reading NCC pulls together data in Eastern Canada to create open-access conservation planning tools
This past winter, Atlantic Water Network’s (AWN) staff traveled throughout Atlantic Canada to deliver our “ From Water to Web ” workshop series, with a focus on data management. This workshop series followed the launch of Atlantic DataStream, an open access web portal for water quality data.
Keep Reading From Water to Web Workshop Series
Community-based monitoring groups of all shapes and sizes are taking action to protect rivers, lakes and wetlands. These are the amazing people and initiatives that inspire us to do the work we do here at DataStream. In this video Keila Miller of the Souris and Area Branch of the Prince Edward Island Wildlife Federation talks about the work her organization is involved in to protect water and wildlife.
Keep Reading CBM In Action: Souris and Area Branch of the PEI Wildlife Federation
DataStream’s new watershed boundary layers cut back on guesswork and make it easier to explore data in the regions that matter to you. We’ve incorporated watershed map layers across all three platforms thanks to geospatial data available on Canada’sOpen Government Portal(open data for the win!).
Keep Reading New Feature: Explore Data by Watershed
Ensuring that water quality data on DataStream is easy to find, access, use and reuse is at the centre of our mission. For this reason, we have dedicated a lot of time exploring ways to integrate permanent identifiers into your datasets.
Keep Reading New Feature: DOIs on DataStream As DataStream continues to grow and evolve, so too does our team. We are thrilled to have Patrick LeClair joining us as Data Specialist Intern.
Keep Reading Data Specialist Intern joins DataStream team!
Happy Citizen Science Day! This April 13, we are celebrating the countless community-based monitoring groups and citizen scientists contributing their knowledge and energy to understanding the health of watersheds all across the country.
Keep Reading Celebrating Citizen Science Day 2019
Since Atlantic DataStream went live in June 2018, organizations throughout the Atlantic Provinces have been eager to share one of their most precious pieces of information - their water quality datasets. With the support of the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund (NB ETF), Atlantic Water Network has been working directly with twelve watershed groups in New Brunswick to digitize, format, and upload their water quality data. There are now nearly 70 years of water quality data available on Atlantic DataStream – a secure, open access platform that helps groups share and connect monitoring results in meaningful ways. Atlantic Water Network works with several organizations throughout the province of New Brunswick, many of whom had decades worth of data, but not always in accessible forms. Even with today’s technology, we hear stories of groups who have years of valuable information that is only found in paper copies, and in some cases, stored away in filing cabinets or even shoe boxes! Atlantic DataStream now makes sharing data even easier than before, with a standardized format aligned with the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency’s WQX format and safely stored incorporating Blockchain technology.
Keep Reading Watershed groups in New Brunswick bring valuable historical data online
On November 27-28, a national discussion focused on identifying potential government supports for community-based water monitoring (CBWM) initiatives took place in Ottawa. More than 60 attendees, from across Canada, took part.
Keep Reading Elevating Community-Based Water Monitoring in Canada: A National Discussion
This summer, Atlantic DataStream spoke with Emma Wattie, Director of the Atlantic Water Network, about community-based water monitoring in Atlantic Canada.
Keep Reading CBM In Action: Atlantic Water Network
Last week, DataStream joined over 100 freshwater organizations from across Canada for the 2018 Living Waters Rally. This year’s Rally took place near the shores of the Peticodiac River in Moncton, New Brunswick on the traditional unceded territory of the Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) and Mi’kmaq Peoples.
Keep Reading DataStream at the 2018 Living Waters Rally
This summer, Atlantic DataStream spoke with Donald Killorn, Executive Director of Eastern Charlotte Waterways, about their water monitoring work in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick.
Keep Reading CBM In Action: Eastern Charlotte Waterways (Blacks Harbour, NB)
HALIFAX, Sept. 18, 2018 – The nimble nature of community-based monitoring is being paired with the security of blockchain technology in Atlantic Canada to safeguard freshwater health.
Keep Reading Blockchain technology put to new use in freshwater health
With Blockchain technology, DataStream is bringing a new level of data security and transparency to our open-data platform. This blockchain verification tool is currently being piloted on Atlantic DataStream.
Keep Reading Blockchain and DataStream
On day two of the Atlantic DataStream kick-off participants gathered at the Tidal Bore Lodge for some breakout sessions, networking and discussion about moving forward with Atlantic DataStream and Atlantic Water Network.
Keep Reading Atlantic DataStream Kickoff - Breakout Summary
Atlantic DataStream kicked off on World Environment Day (June 5, 2018) with a two-day conference and celebration in Halifax, NS. More than 100 community-based water monitors joined us from across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Join the Atlantic Water Network Community Hub Facebook Group to connect with conference attendees.
Keep Reading Kicking Off Atlantic DataStream in Halifax! June 5-6, 2018
On June 20, DataStream won the 2018 Water’s Next award for Project & Technology at the Canadian Water Summit in Vancouver. DataStream is an open-access, online platform for sharing information about freshwater health in the Mackenzie Basin. The Water’s Next Awards celebrate achievements in the water community from storm water management to innovation in drinking water solutions, web technologies, local stewardship and more. DataStream promotes public participation and trust in water stewardship decisions.
Keep Reading DataStream Wins Water's Next Award
Atlantic DataStream’s regional partner, Community Based Environmental Monitoring Network, is rebranding its water work under the “Atlantic Water Network.” We’re excited to reveal their new logo and branding on Tuesday June 7 at the Atlantic DataStream Kickoff event in Halifax, NS.
Keep Reading Introducing Atlantic Water Network
Join us in Halifax on June 5-6 for a two-day conference and celebration kicking off Atlantic DataStream. Conference agenda and social media supports are being updated in real time at http://gordonfoundation.ca/resource/atlantic-datastream-kickoff-event-agenda/
Keep Reading Atlantic DataStream Kickoff - June 5-6, Halifax NS
Atlantic DataStream is live for beta testing! We’re excited to offer a sneak peak of this groundbreaking, open-access platform for sharing information about freshwater health
Keep Reading Atlantic DataStream Live For Beta Testing!
Through a diversity of monitoring, stewardship and guardian programs, communities across Canada are playing an increasingly important role in gathering critical information about the health of their watersheds. As interest in community-based water monitoring (CBWM) grows, investments to organize and implement community-driven initiatives are being made. However, to realize the full potential of these efforts, there is a need for strategic thinking, collaboration, and coordination, including at the national level.
Keep Reading The results are in! National CBM Survey Highlights
One of the exciting things about DataStream is watching it grow and evolve over time. Not only are more datasets coming online, but we are continually making it better thanks to the thoughtful feedback we get from DataStream users. Now, by popular demand, you can filter your search for monitoring data within the sub-basins of the larger Mackenzie River Basin. This is so important because it allows communities to view and compare data across shared waterways.
Keep Reading NEW FEATURE: Search for Monitoring Data by Sub-Basin
As the DataStream platform continues to grow and evolve, so too does our team, and we are excited to announce that Lindsay Day is joining us as the new DataStream Coordinator. Lindsay will assist with the ongoing expansion of DataStream, and will work with communities in the Mackenzie River Basin to continually improve the DataStream platform.
Keep Reading Announcing the New DataStream Coordinator