For the first time, potential investors and businesses have an important resource at their fingertips to easily access information critical to economic growth throughout the province.

British Columbians, economic development professionals and potential investors will have access to information from multiple government sources, and the ability to link with third-party, open-source data through the BC Economic Atlas (BCEA) mapping tool. The BCEA is an online resource that uses geographic co-ordinates to connect it to B.C. locations, allowing for data to be visually displayed.

The BCEA is easy to use and allows for the selection of various types of data that is important when making business investment decisions, identifying investment opportunities and undertaking business case analysis:

natural resource data:

• land status;
• proximity to services; and
• access to transportation, etc.

economic data:

• major projects inventory; and
• employment and investment information, etc.

Having easily accessible and integrated data allows users to access critical information quickly at no cost. It is also a hub for business and investment information and gives users a picture of what’s happening with B.C.’s economy.

The BCEA was developed by the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour along with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (GEOBC) and the Ministry of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services (DataBC).

The BCEA meets the government’s goal of providing open data to the public for free. It also fulfils the BC Jobs Plan priority of preparing offerings for potential investors and helps to strengthen communities’ ability to act on investment opportunities.

Quotes:

Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour -

“The government has a wealth of information that is of value to businesses and potential investors. Technology now makes it possible to provide that data to the public in a simplified and thematic way. This will no doubt encourage businesses to explore potential opportunities and encourage them to invest in British Columbia.”

Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of State for Tourism and Small Business -

“It’s exciting to see new technologies usher in new methods for government to provide services and information to people. The BC Economic Atlas provides a significant resource at no cost that gives entrepreneurs choice on how they interact with government. The quality of these services makes a difference in businesses’ ability to perform, grow and succeed.”

Dale Wheeldon, president and CEO, BC Economic Development Association −

“The BC Economic Atlas is a gold mine for economic development professionals and potential investors in B.C. They will no doubt be pleased to have information such as natural resource data, business case analysis and a place for business conversations at their fingertips. It will be a key resource in helping our economy grow. ”

Quick Facts:

• The Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour (JTST) provided $144,000 to build the BCEA.
• BCEA provides, for the first time, has integrated access and mapping of provincial government data, such as investment opportunities (Opportunities BC), major projects (JTST Major Projects Inventory and Natural Resource Sector major projects), employment opportunities (Work BC) and tourism information (Destination BC).
• BCEA simplifies access to hundreds of datasets by offering a thematic menu (e.g., topic and/or economic sector) linking to the most relevant information to support investment analysis, promote business discussions and to help with decision-making.
• BCEA will open access to other government spatial economic data as it becomes available.
• BCEA allows for integration of proprietary data and data available from open data sources.
• Economic growth and diversification benefits regions and rural communities throughout the province by creating jobs and supporting municipal, provincial and federal services and programs.

Learn More:

To learn about the BC Economic Atlas: www.economicatlas.jtst.gov.bc.ca/home.aspx

For more details on the Major Projects Inventory: www.gov.bc.ca/jtst/major_projects_inventory.html

To find out more about DataBC: www.data.gov.bc.ca

To find out more about GeoBC: www.geobc.gov.bc.ca

To learn more about the BC Jobs Plan: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/bcjobsplan/

Media Contacts:

Media Relations
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour
250 387-2799