2 Sources of data
2.1 Data providers and data users

Data providers are individuals and organizations that collect and process data for a variety of purposes.  They make these data accessible to data users who, in turn, use it to produce statistical information. Data users can be part of the same organization as the data providers or be a third party. Depending on the objective of the data collection, the source of data is said to be primary or secondary. 

Data from a primary source is collected for the purpose of producing statistics and statistical information. Researchers, enterprises and government agencies are the main primary data sources. Researchers and special interest groups may obtain funding to study social, economic and scientific issues which necessitate collecting new data if there is an information gap, that is, if the data needed to study these issues is not readily available elsewhere. Enterprises may collect data for statistical purposes as part of their main mission (survey firms, market research) or for internal uses (survey of employees, for instance). Government agencies, like National Statistical Offices such as Statistics Canada, have mandates to collect information about different aspects of populations and society to help governments make decisions and build public policies.

Data from a secondary source is collected for a purpose other than producing statistical information. Any individual or organization can collect a large quantity of data for different uses, such as paying employees, maintaining inventories, and improving smart phone applications. Not all data from secondary sources is fit for producing statistical information, however, data users are increasingly interested in using some of it to produce statistical information. When data users choose to use secondary data, it is important to assess the data providers and their motives when they collected the data. This will help ensure that the data fit to use.

Groups and organizations that use data, statistical information and statistics include the following:

• Governments: Federal, provincial and local governments need information on the population and the economy, among other things, to help them develop, implement and monitor socio-economic and environmental programs and other functions of government, such as licensing and regulation. It helps governments make decisions on issues such as where to build hospitals, locate services, or how much money to raise through taxation. It also allows the public, opposition politicians and interest groups to measure a government's performance in decision making and to hold it accountable if it does not meet the criteria.
• Businesses: Canadian businesses require information about the local, provincial and national economy, the unmet needs of a population, and trends in society. Data helps them make decisions about employing people, marketing their products and opening new offices, warehouses and factories. Data are also required for businesses to carry out their operations, such as billing, inventory and supply management.
• Community groups: These organizations need information about a wide variety of subjects, such as health and population distribution of Indigenous people, or the number and location of Canadian immigrants who require English or French language skills. Sporting clubs may want information about attendance at games or the number of young people in their local area.
• Academics and researchers: Data is required by those carrying out studies and other analyses, in a variety of roles. Data may be used in planning research work (e.g. in what community to conduct a study) or to back up research claims and other hypotheses (e.g. do historic data support a correlation between higher average temperatures and increased flooding).
• Individuals: Everyone, from students to pensioners, needs some form of information at some time during their lives. The information may be used to complete an essay, a major project or simply to satisfy one's curiosity.

The examples above illustrate that the needs of data and information users span from pre-processed data to finished statistical information products, and everything in between. That is, information users may also be information producers, to varying degrees.