Data Held in Common
We are designing and prototyping the infrastructure for a market for information that is federated and based in commons principles. A safe environment for data to be shared will facilitate understanding by all stakeholders, and drive both contribution and utilization, positioning New Zealand as an information leader. The key benefits of this approach are safety, transparency, accountability, improved quality and ease of use.
The rationale for adopting commons principles in the creation of the data-sharing ecosystem is based in an understanding that an open and commonly-operated market venue will enable transparency, accountability, provenance and transactional efficiency. Presently, the true value of data in New Zealand is largely unexplored; a lack of shared rules, norms and distorted incentives means that data sharing is currently opaque.
We propose the inception of a data marketplace, for the ease of use and re-use, development of shared conventions and a reduction in the cost of transactions involving data, for the common good. A marketplace will allow users to discover and access useful data, and give data providers the ability to see who is using what data, and to what purpose. This transparency has value, because it helps us to know what is useful.
There are well-documented risks associated with the sharing of data. Distributing ownership and control of data effectively distributes risk and responsibility. The near-ubiquitous model of the centralized network demands that we depend on big intermediaries (government, banks, tech companies, credit card companies, etc) to establish and maintain trust by identifying us, authenticating our identities and transactions, and keeping those records on our behalf. But these entities are vulnerable due to their centralized nature, and this arrangement creates bottlenecks and weak links whilst also monopolizing data and confining it so that it’s not available for the public to use, learn from and monetize.
A decentralized commons will be safer, both for government and for citizens, than single entities having the power to decide who can use data and how they can use it, and enable the defragmentation of New Zealand’s data assets. The adoption of commons principles acknowledges the rightful ownership of New Zealanders’ data by New Zealanders. Most peoples’ data is co-produced with an educational institution, healthcare provider, financial institution, government agency or private business, and while these organisations have limited use rights it’s important that New Zealanders have some control over the use of their data. Civil society needs quality, accessible information in order to function well, and the development of a data commons will support this, and contribute to society’s healthy functioning.
It is presently very expensive, in terms of time, resources, reputation and permission, to use, share and re-use data in New Zealand. A data-market can make what is useful discoverable, facilitate provision, and ensure use is accounted for. A perverse outcome of publishing data is underuse: as the preparation and wrangling of data for release and external use is time consuming and expensive, it’s valuable to know what data is being used so that investment in its release can be focused where it will deliver the most value for users.
Similarly, accessing data sources both directly and indirectly, exploring and understanding a data set, and ensuring appropriate use is time-consuming from the user’s perspective. Participating in a data market would enable a user to easily discover or request data sets that meet specific needs, saving time and effort.