Data Journalism Services in Ottawa

Our Four-Step Data Journalism Process

1. 01

   Data Discovery and Scoping

   We begin by mapping the data landscape for your story. Which federal or provincial datasets are relevant? Are they available through the open-data portal, or must they be requested through ATIP? What is the most recent release date, and how does it compare to earlier waves? We assess data quality — completeness, consistency, and known methodological caveats published by the originating agency — and identify any supplementary datasets needed to contextualize the primary figures. The output is a data inventory and a scoping document you approve before analysis begins.

2. 02

   Cleaning, Validation, and Analysis

   Raw government datasets rarely arrive in publication-ready condition. We clean missing values, standardize geographic codes and time periods, and reconcile datasets that use different classification systems (for example, NAICS industry codes across different years). Statistical analysis follows standard practice: descriptive statistics, trend detection, geographic disaggregation, and — where appropriate — regression or correlation techniques. All scripts and methodology notes are retained and delivered with the final package for independent verification by your data editor or technical reviewer.

3. 03

   Visualization Design and Development

   We design charts, maps, and interactive elements that communicate the key finding clearly and accessibly. All visualizations meet WCAG 2.1 AA colour-contrast standards. Interactive charts are built to embed directly in your CMS via an iframe or a self-contained HTML snippet. Static charts are delivered in SVG (for web) and print-ready PNG (300 dpi). We follow best practices for responsible data visualization: axes start at zero for bar charts, comparisons use consistent scales, and colour palettes are checked for colour-blind accessibility.

4. 04

   Narrative Writing and Delivery

   Data findings are packaged with a narrative text layer — a fully written article or structured briefing note — that contextualizes the numbers for your audience. We identify the human impact, place the trend in historical perspective, and explain statistical concepts (margins of error, confidence intervals, statistical significance) in plain language. Three editorial revision rounds are included. The final delivery includes article text, visualization files, the cleaned dataset, and a methodology document.

Who This Service Is For

Data journalism at Flatoutserver is designed for publishers and organizations that want to tell data-driven stories but lack in-house data analysis or visualization capacity. We work with:

• Digital news outlets covering public finance, housing, health, labour, or climate topics where government data is the primary source
• Policy research organizations that need their analytical findings presented as journalism rather than academic reports
• Trade and industry publications tracking sector-specific statistics (employment, trade flows, regulatory filings)
• Non-profit and civil-society organizations that commission original data analysis to support advocacy or awareness campaigns
• Academic research teams seeking a journalism translation layer for datasets intended for general-public consumption
• News platforms that already have a dataset but need a qualified journalist to write the story it tells

Data Sources We Work With

Our team is familiar with the structure, limitations, and access conditions of the following major Canadian public datasets, among many others:

• data.gc.ca — Canada's federal open government portal, covering hundreds of datasets from federal departments
• Statistics Canada — including the Labour Force Survey, Census microdata (PUMFs), National Accounts, health surveys, and the Justice Statistics program
• Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) — fiscal and economic projections, departmental expenditure analysis
• Canada Revenue Agency open data — T1 Family File, corporate income tax summary statistics
• SEDAR and SEDAR+ — public-company financial disclosures
• Elections Canada — contribution and spending data, candidate return filings
• Provincial open-data portals (Ontario Data Catalogue, Donnees Quebec, BC Data Catalogue, and others)
• World Bank, OECD, IMF — for international comparisons relevant to Canadian economic and social stories

What to Prepare Before We Start

• A description of the story question you want to answer with data (e.g., "Has federal infrastructure spending reached rural ridings equitably since 2019?")
• Any datasets you already hold, including file format and vintage (date of download or release)
• Your intended audience and their level of data literacy
• The publication format: standalone analysis, sidebar to a larger piece, interactive feature, or dashboard
• CMS or technical constraints for embedding interactive visualizations
• Any previous coverage of this topic by your outlet or competitors, so we can establish what is genuinely new

Deliverables and Formats

• Fully written article or briefing note (.docx and clean HTML)
• Cleaned and validated dataset (.csv or .xlsx) with column documentation
• Methodology note describing data sources, cleaning steps, and analytical approach
• Static charts in SVG (web) and PNG at 300 dpi (print)
• Interactive visualization as self-contained HTML embed or iframe-ready URL (Dataset analysis package: static only; Interactive visualization package: interactive embed included)
• Source citations in your preferred format (AP, Chicago, or custom house style)
• 24-month archive access via secure document portal

Timeline and Revisions

All timelines run in business days from confirmed start (deposit cleared). Three editorial revision rounds are included. Additional revisions are billed at $150 per hour.

• Dataset Analysis (2-4 days): Analysis and narrative article based on one or two primary datasets that are already publicly available and require moderate cleaning. Deliverable is a written piece with static charts and methodology note.
• Interactive Visualization (3-5 days): Includes the full analysis phase plus design and development of one interactive chart or map. Deliverable adds an embeddable interactive element, responsive to mobile viewports, with accessible colour palette and keyboard navigation.

What Is NOT Included

• Ongoing dashboard maintenance after delivery (available as a separate retainer)
• Data collection by scraping websites (we use only legally accessible public datasets)
• Custom API integrations with your CMS or publishing platform
• Translation into French of the final article (available as a separate engagement)
• Statistical modelling at the level of peer-reviewed academic research (we apply standard journalistic-data methods)
• Photography or video production (see our Multimedia Content service)

How Pricing Works

All prices in Canadian dollars. HST 13% (Ontario) applies. Net 30 B2B with approved credit; net 15 otherwise. 40% deposit to commence work. Free cancellation 72 hours before agreed start; cancellations within 72 hours forfeit the deposit. BN: 732918456 RC0001 — HST: 732918456 RT0001.

Custom multi-dataset projects and ongoing dashboard arrangements priced on request. See Terms of Service.