The pandemic has presented new challenges for ecological data collection in the laboratory and field. As a result, many ecologists have (re-)discovered untapped potential in existing open data resources. This Inspire session will highlight some projects that used open data, or the resources themselves and their capabilities, with speakers from a wide variety of groups at the forefront of open science. The data or science tools presented in this session need not be pandemic-related; we focus on open resources that could be useful to ecologists struggling with redefined roles and capabilities during the pandemic. The rapid-style talks in this session will explore interdisciplinary connections between ecology and areas of social science; present relatively new data resources or syntheses that may spark new ideas for research; and identify ways open data resources can be used to provide an immersive learning experience in the classroom. At the end of the session, the discussion will allow for Q&A of the speakers, and answer the following questions: What’s next for open data resources? Where do we see untapped potential in open data resources? How can open data help ecologists continue to make progress, despite the challenges of postponed field and laboratory work? This decade is the renaissance for open data resources, which provide vital connections in space, in time, and among disciplines. This session will “inspire” ecologists to use those vital connections to tackle major societal and ecological problems, even during a global pandemic.