Bringing visibility to Climate Data in Canada

Evolving Web provides ongoing marketing strategy and technical support to ClimateData.ca, which provides climate data openly and freely to all Canadians, helping decision-makers incorporate climate change considerations in their decision-making processes. To address low awareness of the organization and usability challenges of the website, we developed marketing strategies, revamped the website, and improved the functionality of interactive data maps. Our work includes technical and strategic audits, on-going social media support, WordPress development and training to sustain these improvements long-term.

ClimateData.ca is a pan-Canadian scientific initiative funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and led by Luqia in collaboration with regional climate centres across the country. The platform delivers high-resolution climate data and insights to support informed decision-making and help build a more climate-resilient Canada. 

Luqia, an industrial innovation laboratory formed from the merger of the activities of the National Optics Institute (INO) and the Montreal Computer Research Institute (CRIM), leads the development and ongoing support of Climatedata.ca. At the intersection of research and industry, this industrial innovation laboratory offers a unique capacity for research and development and high-performance pre-commercial prototyping that enables the conversion of discoveries in AI and photonics into marketable products, generating significant socioeconomic benefits for businesses in Québec and Canada.

We support Luqia by providing marketing and development services that help advance the mission of ClimateData.ca.

ClimateData.ca aimed to make its climate data more accessible and actionable by overhauling its website and introducing an interactive maps tool. The primary goal of the map is to give users—from scientists to municipal planners—an intuitive way to explore climate projections by variable, sector, and region. By enabling users to compare scenarios, view changes over time, and extract values at different geographic scales, the platform sought to lower barriers for non-experts while providing advanced functionality for practitioners. Alongside these technical objectives, ClimateData.ca also needed to increase awareness of the platform through a coordinated marketing strategy that could engage diverse audiences across Canada.

Despite its scientific credibility, ClimateData.ca faced low awareness outside specialized research circles. The website’s previous design was complex, creating barriers for non-expert users who struggled to interpret datasets and apply them in decision-making. CRIM also had limited marketing resources, making it difficult to build broad recognition or engage multiple audiences with a single platform.

Evolving Web provides a combination of technical development and ongoing strategic marketing support to help ClimateData.ca evolve into a user-friendly, high-impact platform. Our work has included:

• New interactive maps tool with a modern React front-end, giving users a faster, more responsive experience when exploring datasets and customizing views
• Customizable dataset selection, including more than 45 variables such as Hottest Day, Frost-Free Season, and Cooling Degree Days
• Sector-based filters to help users quickly find relevant variables
• Region-based exploration through grid cells, health regions, watersheds, and census subdivisions
• Side-by-side comparisons of climate projections under different emissions scenarios
• Map settings that toggle to give researchers and policy makers different perspectives on the data (tracking absolute values vs. changes over time)
• A streamlined Download tool, with features such as analysis for temperature extremes, freeze-thaw cycles, and degree-day accumulations, that integrates with the custom API provided by CRIM
• On-going marketing with social media strategy, advertising campaigns, newsletters, and analytics to increase reach and optimize performance

The collaboration delivers measurable impact across both technical functionality and audience engagement. The redesigned ClimateData.ca is easier to navigate, more accessible for non-experts, and equipped with powerful tools for practitioners across sectors. The new maps and download workflows give users confidence in applying climate projections to real-world decisions, from stormwater planning to crop selection.