Read the literature review on sharing national infrastructure data for research.
Across the globe and across all industries, vast amounts of data are generated on a daily basis. It’s estimated that for every person on earth, 1.7 MB of data is created every second. Data, used effectively, has the potential for huge socio-economic and environmental benefits. But to maximise its potential, it has to get into the right hands, and in the right way.
Sharing data for research is an important part of the equation. Researchers that are external to an organisation in which data originated can offer fresh perspectives to maximise data value, enable new forms of analysis through dataset linking, and offer important insights into the quality of data. Data held and published by public bodies is valuable, but data held by private companies is equally crucial, potentially offering ‘powerful insights into the behaviors of individuals, communities, organizations, systems, and the physical environment—as well as into the interactions among these levels’ (The Royal Society; National Academy of Sciences, 2024, p6). However, accessing such data can be challenging, with researchers – and other users – facing issues around legalities, privacy, commercial resistance and cultural reticences, as well as technical challenges.