Through Budget 2018, funding was announced to support Statistics Canada’s (StatCan’s) modernization agenda and enhance its technological statistical infrastructure through the development of Data Analytics Services (DAS). With the exponential growth in data and their use, in addition to the corresponding demands for both storage and processing, new and innovative approaches to infrastructure delivery were required. DAS is a cloud-based platform designed and developed internally to provide users with access to StatCan data, analytical tools, software and the necessary computing power to complete various analyses. DAS is intended for a wide range of external users, such as researchers, data analysts, data scientists and professionals in the public and private sectors.
Overall, DAS provides several functionalities:
- secure personal or collaborative workspaces for high-capacity computing
- high-quality, timely and trusted StatCan data uploaded directly to users’ workspaces
- rich metadata and search infrastructure to ensure that data are findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable
- state-of-the-art tools—from statistical software for familiarity and convenience to open-source software for greater agility and flexibility
- advanced capacities like artificial intelligence, machine learning techniques and high-performance data processing.
Of note, one project that uses DAS is the Virtual Data Lab (VDL). It has a wide user base and provides similar services to other DAS environments. However, the architecture is not as technologically advanced and relies on non-cloud native infrastructure, so modernization efforts are required.
DAS governance extends across the Digital Solutions Field (Field 9) and the Strategic Data Management, Methods and Analysis Field (Field 6). In 2023, under the leadership of the Chief Data Officer (Assistant Chief Statistician [ACS] of Field 6), Field 6 took on business ownership for DAS and is responsible for oversight of all DAS processes and program management. Field 9 continues as the executive budget holder and remains responsible for technology expertise. There is also the DAS Advisory Council, jointly chaired by the directors general of both fields, which reviews issue escalations, the scope, the budget and the strategic alignment of activities.
The objective of the evaluation is to provide credible and neutral information on the relevance and performance of DAS. The scope of this evaluation focused on the relevance of DAS and the achievement of its intended results, as well as considerations for continued improvement and sustainability of the platform. Value for money was also evaluated at a high level.
Key findings and recommendations
There is a continued need for DAS. It is important for federal data modernization and secure collaboration within a Protected B environment focusing on cloud infrastructure, as well as real-time access, addressing the unique needs of researchers, data scientists and policy makers. DAS is not considered duplicative of other services and has potential, with improvements in functionality and usability, to continue to meet the evolving needs of users.
However, DAS has had mixed success in achieving its intended results. While it has successfully met some objectives, such as enabling access to data and supporting collaboration, challenges such as lengthy onboarding, access delays and alignment issues with StatCan’s mandate have hindered its full potential. Internal users report higher satisfaction compared with external users, who have struggled with inefficiencies that impact project initiation and the overall user experience. While DAS has supported various projects aimed at secure data sharing and policy support, many projects are still in progress or have been discontinued, limiting the assessment of their full impacts at the time of the evaluation.
Further, DAS faces significant sustainability challenges because of funding deficits, information technology (IT) capacity limitations and declining user satisfaction. While recent improvements show promise, their impact is not yet measurable, and ongoing concerns could lead to underuse and high operational costs. More time and monitoring are needed to determine the long-term viability of DAS.
In light of these findings, the following recommendations are proposed.
Recommendation 1
The ACS of Strategic Data Management, Methods and Analysis (Field 6), in collaboration with the ACS of Digital Solutions (Field 9), should ensure that the modernization efforts for DAS and VDL are aligned and not redundant. This will support alignment with the long-term vision for DAS while also making efficient use of StatCan’s limited IT resources.
Recommendation 2
The ACS of Field 6, in collaboration with the ACS of Field 9, should seek ways to improve the experience of external users to sustain the uptake of DAS and promote sustainable costs. Based on the evaluation findings, areas of improvement should include, but not be limited to, onboarding, service cataloguing, costing models and timely data access.
Recommendation 3
The ACS of Field 6, in collaboration with the ACS of Field 9, should ensure that effective monitoring of the program is carried out and, more specifically, that
- processes are in place to track and monitor direct and indirect DAS clients to better understand the DAS client base and uptake over time
- performance indicators for DAS, such as client use and satisfaction, are established and monitored regularly
- ongoing assessments of overall program costs, efficiency and duplication of services (i.e., VDL, Advanced Analytics Workspace, Collaborative Analytics Environment), and impact for users are carried out.
Recommendation 4
The ACS of Field 6, in collaboration with the ACS of Field 9, should explore possibilities to make the functionality and technology of the DAS platform more available to a broader audience of users.
Recommendation 5
The ACSs of Field 6 and Field 9 should review the current budget arrangement to ensure that it is efficient and effective, and that it aligns with organizational policies and practices.