Open data is the new solar energy

Data is the new oil. This phrase has been with us for several years now. Just googling the term gives you about 197 million hits. Data is fueling the our Digital Economy making data a valuable asset for anyone able to leverage its potential. Right now, organizations everywhere are improving their data infrastructure trying to gain an advantage over its competitors.

But viewing data as the new oil has a downside. These inititatives are mainly aimed inwards, keeping data within the confines of the company. Like oil, data benefits the large players owning the data the most. It requires vast investments in acquiring, transporting, processing and refining data to truly benefit an organization. An organization that isn't able to produce its own data might buy it from a data vendor, but that makes it dependent on that vendor.

Open data, on the other hand, provides a level playing field and can advance society as a whole. Open data, like sunlight, is democratic and can be captured by anyone, companies and citizens alike. It can provide in big and small data needs. You don't need big investments in software to profit from available open data sources. Open data spurs new initiatives that can become self-sustaining.

If data is the new oil, then open data is the new solar energy. And we need to move to sustainable data sources quickly.

Source: United Nations Photo,  https://www.flickr.com/photos/un_photo/5105193914/