When the National Research Council and its American partners began assessing the viability of regional algae biofuels production facilities in North America, they turned to us for assistance. Through secondary research and stakeholder engagement, we developed a catalogue of geospatial data to inform the development of a Geographic Information System. We also consulted more than eighty wastewater treatment plants across Canada and developed an extensive database of relevant effluent data to inform the site selection and prioritization of potential early deployments.