The Problem: A Failure of Interoperability

Shukle expressed concern over Canada’s historical and ongoing inability to fully leverage data for productivity, innovation, or national coherence. While Canada was once a leader in open data (notably with the early CCMAO portal from 2008-2012), he argued that efforts have since become siloed. Data strategies exist in isolation, federal departments design roadmaps without collaboration across provinces, territories, or sectors. Government portals like GC Account are restricted to federal employees, limiting broader collaboration and co-creation.

He argued this results in institutional fraying: a lack of trust in public systems, inefficient infrastructure projects, and missed economic opportunities. “We question whether we can do anything in this country and get something built,” he said.

A New Model: Lessons from BIM and Geo Interoperability

Shukle shifted to a global perspective, highlighting how international initiatives, particularly from BuildingSMART International and the OGC, are driving progress in digital twins and integrated infrastructure planning. He praised the Parliament Hill renovation project, a $5 billion undertaking, as a powerful metaphor for rebuilding both physical infrastructure and institutional capacity in Canada. That project, he noted, integrates BIM and geospatial data with unprecedented precision and collaboration.

He warned, however, that unless standards development and implementation are accelerated, private industry will outpace public governance. Standards must be agile, not decades-long processes. “Standards cannot be a 10-year process,” he emphasized.

A Call for Sovereign Data Infrastructure

Shukle proposed moving beyond a traditional Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) to a Sovereign Data Infrastructure. This new framework would encompass:

• High-quality 5G/6G/7G connectivity
• Integration of space-to-subsurface data systems
• Open collaboration between public, private, nonprofit, and Indigenous sectors
• Modern regulatory frameworks aligned with investment priorities

He emphasized that Canada’s path forward must be proactive and ambitious, not reactionary.

Six Strategic ‘Pipelines’ for National Focus

Framing pipelines as interconnected systems of opportunity, Shukle outlined six key areas where Canada must concentrate its data, policy, and infrastructure efforts:

1. Geo + Integration: Encompassing aerosols, subsidence, and coast-to-coast monitoring. This calls for IoT, sensor networks, and smart pipeline management.
2. Energy Transformation: Highlighted by the Churchill Falls project, there’s an urgent need to move clean energy across provinces and borders, serving AI-driven economies and defense operations like NORAD.
3. NATO & NORAD Revitalization: Data pipelines must support national sovereignty, connectivity in northern and remote regions, and defense readiness.
4. Climate Adaptation & Mitigation: Infrastructure resilience must be measurable, especially in the face of climate stressors. Data is essential to model, monitor, and validate.
5. Next-Gen Transportation Infrastructure: This includes not only seaports and airports but emerging spaceports, with interoperability at their core.
6. Water–Land–Infrastructure Nexus: The foundation of all the above. This triad represents where Geo intersects physical reality, and must be at the heart of national strategy.

From Common Voice to Common Narrative

Shukle concluded with a powerful call for cultural transformation in how Canada thinks about data. He urged Canadians to shift from speaking in isolated “common voices” to building a shared narrative. Collaboration must be human-centered, strategic, and actionable. “We need ambitious action plans, and we need to embrace assets, data, and technology at the leading edge,” he said.

The audience left with a challenge: to rethink not just their data systems, but the political, institutional, and cultural frameworks that support or inhibit them.