---
title: Data Dissemination Strategy
weight: 4
prev: /docs/d4c-pkgs/d4c-datapkg-field-imagery/
next: /contact/
---

{{< callout type="important" icon="sparkles" >}}
We prioritize interoperability, long-term preservation, and decentralized resilience.
{{< /callout >}}

## High-Level Overview

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    classDef linkNode stroke:#0000EE,color:#0000EE,stroke-width:2px;
    subgraph mirrors [Mirrors & Preservation]
        SourceCoop[Source Cooperative]
        Tigris[Tigris]
        Community[Community]
        Cloudflare
        Zenodo[Zenodo]
        InternetArchive[Internet Archive]
        Metadata[FAIR Data Catalogue]
    end

    Sources[Open Data Sources]
    Processes[Data Packages]
    Artifacts[Systems-Ready Data]
    P2P["P2P Technology"]
    
    subgraph Consumers [Consumption]
        Users[Data People & Developers]
        Systems[Systems]
    end

    %% Flow with Animations
    Sources a1@<--> Processes
    a1@{animate: true, animation: slow}
    
    Processes a2@<--> Artifacts
    a2@{animate: true, animation: slow}
    
    Artifacts a3@<--> Metadata
    a3@{animate: true, animation: fast}

    Metadata a20@<--> SourceCoop
    a20@{animate: true, animation: slow}
    Metadata a21@<--> Tigris
    a21@{animate: true, animation: fast}
    Metadata a22@<--> Community
    a22@{animate: true, animation: fast}
    Metadata a23@<--> Zenodo
    a23@{animate: true, animation: slow}
    Metadata a24@<--> Cloudflare
    a24@{animate: true, animation: fast}
    Metadata a25@<--> InternetArchive
    a25@{animate: true, animation: slow}
    
    %% Mirror Connections
    mirrors a12@<--> Consumers
    a12@{animate: true, animation: slow}
    

    %% Hint, the FAIR Data Catalogue can also be decentralized 🤯
    %%Metadata a30@<--> P2P
    %%a30@{animate: true, animation: fast}
    mirrors a9@<--> P2P
    a9@{animate: true, animation: fast}

    %% P2P Connections
    P2P a10@<--> Consumers
    a10@{animate: true, animation: fast}
    
    style Sources fill:#FFB74D,stroke:#EF6C00,color:#000000
    style Artifacts fill:#B71C1C,stroke:#7F0000,color:#FFFFFF
    %% Opera concertmaster
    style Metadata fill:#B71C1C,stroke:#7F0000,color:#FFFFFF
    class Metadata Metadata
    style Processes fill:#B71C1C,stroke:#7F0000,color:#FFFFFF
    class Processes Processes
    style SourceCoop fill:#B71C1C,stroke:#7F0000,color:#FFFFFF
    style Tigris fill:#B71C1C,stroke:#7F0000,color:#FFFFFF
    style Cloudflare fill:#FFB74D,stroke:#EF6C00,color:#000000
    style Zenodo fill:#FFB74D,stroke:#EF6C00,color:#000000
    style Community fill:#B71C1C,stroke:#7F0000,color:#FFFFFF
    style P2P fill:#B71C1C,stroke:#7F0000,color:#FFFFFF
    style InternetArchive fill:#66BB6A,stroke:#2E7D32,color:#000000
    style Users fill:#B71C1C,stroke:#7F0000,color:#FFFFFF
    style Systems fill:#B71C1C,stroke:#7F0000,color:#FFFFFF
    
    %% Click Actions
	click P2P "https://tixati.com/specs/bittorrent" _blank
    click Tigris "https://d4c-pkgs.t3.storage.dev/" _blank
    click Sources "https://www.dataforcanada.org/#high-level-overview" _blank
    click Processes "https://www.dataforcanada.org/docs/d4c-pkgs/" _blank
    click Metadata "https://stac-utils.github.io/stac-geoparquet/latest/spec/stac-geoparquet-spec/" _blank
    click Zenodo "https://zenodo.org/communities/dataforcanada/" _blank
    click SourceCoop "https://source.coop/dataforcanada/" _blank
    click InternetArchive "https://archive.org/details/@diegoripley/uploads/" _blank

    %% APPLY STYLES TO LINKED NODES
    class Sources linkNode
```

## Dissemination Process

Once data products reach a production-ready state, they enter a dissemination flow designed for permanence and performance:

* **Cloud-Native First:** Priority is given to performant, system-to-system file formats (e.g., Parquet) to enable high-throughput applications without the need for local parsing.
* **Persistent Identification:** Every dataset version is assigned a DOI for citation and immutability.
* **The FAIR Data Catalogue:** Global metadata is aggregated into a single, queryable **[FAIR Data Catalogue](https://stac-utils.github.io/stac-geoparquet/latest/spec/stac-geoparquet-spec/)**. This catalog acts as the "brain" of the system, tracking all versions and DOIs, and directing users to the optimal source within our multi-tier storage network:
  * **[Source Cooperative](https://source.coop/dataforcanada)** serves as our **primary mirror** for all datasets, including large-scale products like orthoimagery (see [Funding and Governance](https://docs.source.coop/#funding-and-governance)).
  * **[Zenodo](https://zenodo.org/communities/dataforcanada/)** serves as our repository for **long-term academic preservation** and provides a high-speed mirror for European users (see [Funding](https://about.zenodo.org/infrastructure/)).
  * **[The Internet Archive](https://archive.org)** is utilized **strategically** for specific datasets to ensure historical redundancy (see [Funding](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/943242767)).
  * **[Data for Canada Infrastructure](https://www.dataforcanada.org/infrastructure/)** is utilized **strategically** for specific datasets of high-value.

### Decentralized Distribution

We are piloting a <abbr title="Peer-to-Peer">P2P</abbr> technology, to maximize infrastructure resilience. By leveraging the [P2P HTTP  consumption feature](https://www.bittorrent.org/beps/bep_0019.html), users will be able to download simultaneously from Source Cooperative, Zenodo, Data for Canada infrastructure, and community peers. This ensures high availability without a single point of failure. Current laboratory work is available in the [d4c-infra-distribution](https://github.com/dataforcanada/d4c-infra-distribution).

## 🏗️ Open Processing Architecture

We believe that true open data requires open production. To ensure the longevity and resilience of Canada's data infrastructure, we treat our data pipelines as **open source software artifacts**. We provide the "blueprints" alongside the data, allowing any user to verify our work or rebuild the dataset from scratch on their own infrastructure.

### The Blueprint Model

Our processing strategy relies on three immutable components to guarantee transparency:

1. **Build Manifests:** Every dataset version is accompanied by a strict manifest. This locks the exact "ingredients" used: the cryptographic hashes of the raw source files, the specific Git commit of the processing code, and the configuration parameters.
2. **Environment Definitions:** Rather than opaque binaries, we publish the exact **Infrastructure as Code (IaC)** definitions (e.g., Dockerfiles). This allows users to inspect the system context (GDAL versions, libraries, and dependencies) and build the environment themselves.
3. **Deterministic Builds:** By combining a *Build Manifest* with our *Environment Definitions*, any user can execute a **deterministic build**. This process guarantees a bit-for-bit identical copy of the official Data for Canada artifact, ensuring that the pipeline is independent of our specific servers.

**Mirrored Source Artifacts:**
Crucially, we do not rely solely on external version control systems like GitHub, which may change or disappear. A complete snapshot of the processing code, environment definitions, and manifests is bundled with every data release. These source artifacts are replicated across **Source Cooperative, Zenodo, the Internet Archive, Data for Canada infrastructure, and the community**, ensuring that the *method* of creation is preserved with the same redundancy as the *result*.

## Work in the Lab: Smart Nodes

To further democratize access and ensure the persistence of Canada’s open data, we are experimenting with the features defined in previous work done by other organizations.

A Smart Node functions as a "set-it-and-forget-it" volunteer server, an automated library branch for our data infrastructure.

* **Automated Mirroring:** Unlike a standard download, a Smart Node automatically synchronizes with our central **FAIR Data Catalog**. It intelligently fetches new or "at-risk" datasets to ensure they remain available even if the central portal experiences downtime.
* **Volunteer-Powered Resilience:** This model allows partner institutions (ex. universities, research labs) and public volunteers to donate bandwidth and storage. By running a Smart Node, contributors actively protect vital Canadian datasets from being lost or gated.

* **Dynamic Storage Management:** The node software monitors network health to optimize resource usage. Leveraging the  <abbr title="Peer-to-Peer">P2P</abbr> technology's capability for **selective piece mapping**, the node does not need to store the entire catalog. Instead, it identifies specific file indices or "rare" pieces within the metadata and sends granular `REQUEST` messages for only those blocks. This allows a node with limited storage (ex. 500GB) to provide critical redundancy for a much larger archive (ex. 50TB) by surgically targeting only the data that is currently under shared.

We are currently refining the concepts from [smart-node-transmission](https://github.com/academictorrents/smartnode-transmission) to work seamlessly with our catalog, enabling a fully decentralized data mesh for Canadian geospatial information.

```mermaid
graph TD
    Catalogue[("FAIR Data Catalogue")]
    SmartNode["Volunteer Smart Node<br/>(Limited Storage)"]
    P2PNetwork(["P2P Community Peers<br/>(Massive Data Pool)"])

    Catalogue -->|"1. Syncs metadata"| SmartNode
    
    note["Note: The Node does NOT<br/>download the whole file."]
    SmartNode -.- note

    SmartNode -->|"2. Sends granular REQUESTs for specific pieces only<br/>(e.g., 'Send Piece #804 of Dataset B')"| P2PNetwork
    
    P2PNetwork -.->|"3. Transfers ONLY the requested blocks"| SmartNode

    classDef node fill:#fff9c4,stroke:#fbc02d,stroke-width:2px,stroke-dasharray: 5 5;
    classDef network fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#2e7d32,stroke-width:2px;
    
    style Catalogue fill:#B71C1C,stroke:#7F0000,color:#FFFFFF
    style P2PNetwork fill:#B71C1C,stroke:#7F0000,color:#FFFFFF
    style SmartNode fill:#B71C1C,stroke:#7F0000,color:#FFFFFF

    click Catalogue "https://stac-utils.github.io/stac-geoparquet/latest/spec/stac-geoparquet-spec/";
    click SmartNode "https://www.dataforcanada.org/infrastructure/";
```
