Least week Stefaan Verhulst, Iryna Susha and Alexander Kostura published “Data Collaboratives: Matching Demand with Supply of (Corporate) Data to solve Public Problems” on Medium. The post arose from the recent International Data Responsibility Conference, organized by the International Data Responsibility Group ( IDRG), of which the GovLab is a founding partner.
In particular, the post describes the insights uncovered during a participatory session led by Verhulst, Susha and Kostura exploring the potential and value of Data Collaboratives.
Among other learnings, the workshop uncovered ideas for enabling greater experimentation around Data Collaboratives:
“Matching supply and demand of data emerged as one of the most important and overarching issues facing the big and open data communities. Participants agreed that more experimentation is needed so that new, innovative and more successful models of data sharing can be identified.
How to discover and enable such models? When asked how the international community might foster greater experimentation, participants indicated the need to develop the following:
- A responsible data framework that serves to build trust in sharing data would be based upon existing frameworks but also accommodates emerging technologies and practices. It would also need to be sensitive to public opinion and perception.
- Increased insight into different business models that may facilitate the sharing of data. As experimentation continues, the data community should map emerging practices and models of sharing so that successful cases can be replicated.
- Capacity to tap into the potential value of data. On the demand side, capacity refers to the ability to pose good questions, understand current data limitations, and seek new data sets responsibly. On the supply side, this means seeking shared value in collaboration, thinking creatively about public use of private data, and establishing norms of responsibility around security, privacy, and anonymity.
- Transparent stock of available data supply , including an inventory of what corporate data exist that can match multiple demands and that is shared through established networks and new collaborative institutional structures.
- Mapping emerging practices and models of sharing. Corporate data offers value not only for humanitarian action (which was a particular focus at the conference) but also for a variety of other domains, including science, agriculture, healthcare, urban development, environment, media and arts, and others. Gaining insight in what practices emerge across sectors could broaden the spectrum of what is feasible and how.
