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About the Amundsen Science Catalogue

The Amundsen Science data catalogue is built on the Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network (CKAN), a world-leading open-source platform for data management and discovery. CKAN provides powerful tools for publishing, sharing, searching, and accessing oceanographic data by managing comprehensive metadata that points to where data is stored, along with robust API capabilities for programmatic access.

Part of a National Network

The Amundsen Science catalogue is a key node within the federation of regional data catalogues operated by the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System (CIOOS). This federation brings together CIOOS regional associations and partner organizations to ensure that ocean data collected across Canada is accessible, interoperable, and follows common standards, while respecting the regional expertise and focus of each catalogue.

As part of this federation, the Amundsen Science catalogue uses the CIOOS official image and associated tools, ensuring a consistent user experience and technical infrastructure across all regional nodes. This standardization facilitates seamless data discovery and access across the entire CIOOS network.

Why CKAN?

CKAN has earned significant recognition within the open data movement and is trusted by governments and research organizations worldwide for managing and sharing data through metadata catalogues.

Key Benefits

CKAN was selected because it offers several important advantages:

  • Handles Diverse Data: The platform can work with many different types of ocean data, from temperature measurements to ship tracks, making it easy to find exactly what you need
  • Connects Across Networks: Our metadata can be shared with and discovered by other ocean research systems nationally and internationally
  • Grows With Needs: New tools for viewing maps, creating charts, and analyzing data can be added as technology and research needs evolve
  • Free and Open: The platform is built on open-source software, ensuring transparency and allowing the global community to continuously improve it

Through this metadata catalogue, we contribute to making ocean data discoverable and accessible to scientists, policymakers, and the public across Canada and beyond.