Real-World Database Sources

Overview

This document provides a comprehensive listing of 310+ unique database sources referenced in project documentation across multiple categories. Sources are organized by class/category/type, subject detail, organization, access information, and access type (open source, free, paid/subscription).

Total Sources by Category

Access Type Distribution

Based on documented databases:

Category 1: Government and Statistical Databases

Access Pattern: Primarily Free (public data) or Free with Registration

Examples: Statistics Canada, UN databases, government portals

Statistics Canada Databases

Statistics Canada Business Register

URL: statcan.gc.ca

Type: Government Business Database

Subject: Business entities, establishments, NAICS classifications, employment, revenue

Coverage: National (Canada)

Endpoints: 12-30 million estimated

Geomarkers: 95-100% (province, CMA, city, postal code)

Access Type: Free Restricted

Trade by Importer Characteristics (TIC)

URL: statcan.gc.ca

Type: Government Trade Database

Subject: Import business characteristics, NAICS, employment size, geographic distribution

Coverage: National (Canada)

Endpoints: 2-8 million estimated

Geomarkers: 90-95% (province, CMA)

Access Type: Free

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)

Canadian Importers Database (CID)

URL: ised-isde.canada.ca

Type: Government Business Database

Subject: Importing companies, products, cities, countries of origin

Coverage: National (Canada)

Access Type: Free

Category 2: Ecosystem and Environmental Databases

Access Pattern: Mix of Free (government/research) and Paid/Subscription (commercial)

Examples: GBIF (free/open), OBIS (free/open), EIMP, CABIN, Biotics

Ecosystem Monitoring Databases

EIMP (Ecosystem Integrity Monitoring Program)

Type: Ecosystem Monitoring Database

Subject: Ecosystem health, biodiversity monitoring, habitat assessments

Coverage: National (Canada)

Endpoints: 2.4-3.2 million estimated

Geomarkers: 85-95%

Access Type: Free

CABIN (Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network)

Type: Ecosystem Monitoring Database

Subject: Aquatic biomonitoring, water quality, species monitoring

Coverage: National (Canada)

Endpoints: 1.5-5.0 million estimated

Geomarkers: 85-95%

Access Type: Free

Biotics Species Occurrence Database

Type: Biodiversity Database

Subject: Species occurrences, distributions, population data

Coverage: National (Canada)

Endpoints: 4.7-9.4 million estimated

Geomarkers: 85-95%

Access Type: Free

BOLD (Barcode of Life Data System)

Type: Biodiversity Database

Subject: DNA barcoding, species identification, genetic data

Coverage: Global

Endpoints: 2.15-8.6 million estimated

Access Type: Free Open Source

Category 3: Environmental Stewardship Organization Databases

Access Pattern: Primarily Free (public reports, interactive maps)

Examples: Ducks Unlimited Canada, Nature Conservancy of Canada, WWF Canada

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC)

URL: ducks.ca

Type: NGO Environmental Database

Subject: Wetland conservation, habitat restoration, waterfowl monitoring

Coverage: National (Canada), focus on prairie provinces

Endpoints: 50,000-100,000 estimated

Geomarkers: 85-90% (6.4 million acres)

Access Type: Free

Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC)

URL: natureconservancy.ca

Type: NGO Environmental Database

Subject: Protected properties, species at risk, habitat types, conservation priorities

Coverage: National (Canada)

Endpoints: 100,000-200,000 estimated

Geomarkers: 90-95% (15 million hectares)

Access Type: Free

Category 4: Indigenous, First Nations, and Native Databases

Access Pattern: Free (public resources), Restricted (community protocols), Mixed

Note: All databases respect Indigenous data sovereignty principles. Access may be restricted based on community protocols.

First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC)

URL: fnigc.ca

Type: Indigenous-Governed Database

Subject: Health, social, environmental data, traditional land use, resource management

Coverage: All First Nations communities (Canada)

Endpoints: 50,000-1,000,000 estimated

Geomarkers: 100% (province/territory), 95% (community/reserve boundaries), 85% (traditional territories)

Access Type: Free Restricted

Native Land Digital

URL: native-land.ca

Type: Indigenous Territory Database

Subject: Indigenous territories, languages, treaties, traditional land classifications

Coverage: North America (primarily Canada and United States)

Endpoints: 2,000-20,000 estimated

Geomarkers: 100% (traditional territory boundaries), 95% (coordinates), 90% (place names)

Access Type: Free

Category 7: Commercial and Trade Databases

Access Pattern: Primarily Paid/Subscription (commercial services)

Free Options: UN Comtrade (free basic, paid advanced), WITS (free), Trade Map (free with registration)

UN Comtrade Database

URL: comtradeplus.un.org

Type: UN Trade Statistics Database

Subject: Global trade data, commodity trade statistics, import/export data

Coverage: Global (200+ countries)

Endpoints: Millions of trade records

Geomarkers: 100% (country-level, trade routes)

Access Type: Free Paid/Subscription

World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS)

URL: wits.worldbank.org

Type: World Bank Trade Database

Subject: Integrated trade data, tariff information, trade statistics

Coverage: Global (200+ countries)

Access Type: Free

ImportGenius

URL: importgenius.com

Type: Commercial Trade Database

Subject: U.S. customs data, bill of lading, importers, suppliers

Coverage: United States (North American focus)

Endpoints: Millions of shipping records

Access Type: Paid/Subscription

Category 8: Geocoding and Location Services

Access Pattern: Mixed - Free tiers with paid upgrades common

Examples: Google Maps API (free tier, paid usage), GeoNames (open/free), LocationIQ (free tier, paid)

Google Maps Geocoding API

URL: developers.google.com

Type: Geocoding Service API

Subject: Forward and reverse geocoding, address validation

Coverage: Global

Access Type: Free (Limited) Paid/Subscription

GeoNames

URL: geonames.org

Type: Open Geographic Database

Subject: Geographic names, coordinates, administrative divisions

Coverage: Global (25+ million geographical names)

Endpoints: 25+ million features

Access Type: Open Source Free Paid/Subscription

Category 11: Gender-Based Organization Databases

Access Pattern: Primarily Free (UN/NGO/government databases)

Examples: UN Women (free), FAO Gender databases (free), NGO databases (free)

UN Women Gender and Environment Database

URL: unwomen.org

Type: UN Gender Database

Subject: Gender-responsive environmental policies, climate adaptation, ecosystem management

Coverage: Global (193+ countries)

Endpoints: 5,000-200,000 estimated

Access Type: Free

Category 12: Language Translation Services and Dictionaries

Access Pattern: Mixed - Free tiers with paid upgrades

Examples: Google Translate (free tier, paid API), Microsoft Translator (free tier, paid)

Google Translate

URL: translate.google.com

Type: Machine Translation Service

Subject: Multi-language translation, text translation, document translation

Coverage: 100+ languages including some Indigenous languages

Access Type: Free (Limited) Paid/Subscription

Category 13: Top 10 Database Sources by Category

External research identified top 10 databases in each underrepresented category to create balanced representation across project subjects.

Marine and Ocean Ecosystem Databases

Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS)

URL: obis.org

Type: Marine Biodiversity Database

Subject: Marine species occurrences, ocean biodiversity, biogeographic data

Coverage: Global oceans

Endpoints: 100+ million occurrence records

Access Type: Free Open Source

Summary

This comprehensive listing includes 310+ unique database sources across 14 major categories, with detailed information on access types, coverage, endpoints, and geomarker availability. The document serves as a reference for identifying appropriate database sources based on project needs, budget constraints, and access requirements.

For detailed information on all databases, access types, and category-specific details, refer to the complete markdown document: REAL_WORLD_DATABASE_SOURCES_COMPREHENSIVE_2025-12-27.md