Robert Leitch B.A, BLSc, M.Ed. Sonoptic Media & Communications Corp. Award-winning innovation specialist, information scientist, and foresight strategist with demonstrated leadership as an educator, business analyst, and project manager for many complex multi-partner initiatives in both the public and private sectors. Extensive experience in community outreach, capacity building, strategic planning, project implementation and coordination, especially in rural communities. Co-author of Big Data for Small Places (BD4SP), a data literacy program that uses a capacity-building approach to data access and analysis for rural community development which helps municipalities and organizations investigate and address local issues related to community attractiveness and wellbeing. Co-leader and industry co-sponsor for the development of geographical data integration and visualization cloud-based tool capable of importing data from a variety of sources into one interface and display the results in support of social, economic, and environmental planning. Technical and funding support from Algonquin College Data Analytics Centre and National Research Council Canada.Industry proponent and co-leader for the development of rural data standards, a Standards Council of Canada - Canadian Standards Association (CSA) “National Standards of Canada Indicators for Rural Community Prosperity, Services and Quality of Life” project.