Data philanthropy
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Data philanthropy describes a form of collaboration in which private sector companies share data for public benefit.[1] There are multiple uses of data philanthropy being explored from humanitarian, corporate, human rights, and academic use. Since introducing the term in 2011, the United Nations Global Pulse has advocated for a global "data philanthropy movement".[2]
Definition
A large amount of data collected from the Internet comes from user-generated content. This includes blogs, posts on social networks, and information submitted in forms. Besides user-generated data, corporations are also currently mining data from consumers in order to understand customers, identify new markets, and make investment decisions. Kirkpatrick, the Director at United Nations Global Pulse, labelled this data "massive passive data" or "data exhaust".[3] Data philanthropy is the idea that something positive can come from this overload of data. Data philanthropy is defined as the private sector sharing this data in ways that the public can benefit.[1] The term philanthropy helps to emphasize that data sharing is a positive act and that the shared data is a public good.[3]
Challenges
A challenge that comes with sharing data is the Internet privacy of the user whose data is being used. Mathematical techniques (differential privacy and space time boxes) have been introduced in order to make personal data accessible, while providing the users such data with anonymity. But even if these algorithms work, there is always the possibility and fear of re-identification.[1]
The other challenge is convincing corporations to share their data. The big data that corporations collect provides them with market competitiveness. They are able to infer meaning regarding
Furthermore, numerous moral challenges are encountered. One proposal on how to solve these moral challenges has been brought to light by Mariarosaria Taddeo in 2016, providing an ethical framework that aims to address them.[4]
Sharing strategies
The goal of data philanthropy is to create a global
- Share aggregated and derived data sets for analysis under nondisclosure agreements(NDA)
- Allow researchers to analyse data within the private company's own network, under NDA
- Real-Time Data Commons: data pooled and aggregated between multiple companies of the same industry to protect competitiveness
- Public/Private Alerting Network: companies mine data behind their own firewalls and share indicators
By providing these four tactics, United Nations Global Pulse hopes to provide initiative and options for companies to share their data with the public.
Digital disease detection
By using data gathered from social media, cell phones, and other communication modes, health researchers have been able to track the
In the United States, HealthMap, is using data philanthropy related tactics to track the outbreak of diseases. HealthMap analyses data from publicly available media sources such as news websites, government alerts, and social media sites like X (formerly known as Twitter) for outbreaks of various illnesses around the world.[5][6] Another website, Flu Near You, allows users to report their own health status on a weekly basis. Traditional flu surveillance can take up to 2 weeks to confirm outbreaks.[5] Doctors must wait for a virological test to confirm the outbreak before reporting it to the Centers for Disease Control. This form of data philanthropy allows for up to date information regarding various health concerns by using publicly available information gathered from news outlets, government alerts, and social media sites. It is the data gathered on social media sites, where users are not aware of their data being mined that leads to HealthMap and Flu Near You being considered data philanthropy.[5]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collaborated with Google and launched Google Flu Trends in 2008, a website that tracks flu-related searches and user location to track the spread of the flu. Users can visit the website to compare the amount of flu-related search activity versus the reported numbers of flu outbreaks on a graphic map. The difficulty with this method of tracking is that Google searched are sometimes performed due to curiosity rather than because an individual is suffering from the flu. According to Ashley Fowlkes, an epidemiologist in the CDC Influenza division, "the Google Flu Trends system tries to account for that type of media bias by modelling search terms over time to see which ones remain stable".[5] Google Flu Trends is no longer publishing current flu estimates on the public website. Visitors to the site can still view and download previous estimates. Current data can be shared with verified researchers.[7]
A study by
Application in various fields
Through data philanthropy '
Humanitarian aid
Calling patterns of
Impoverished areas
Corporate
Data philanthropy incorporates aspects of social philanthropy by permitting
Academia
Data philanthropy plays an important role in
Human rights
Data philanthropy aids the human rights movement, by assisting in the dispersal of evidence for truth commissions and war crimes tribunals. Proponents of human rights accumulate data on abuse occurring within states, which is then used for scientific analysis and propels awareness and action. For example, non-profit organizations compile data from Human Rights monitors in war zones in order to assist the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. It uncovers inconsistencies in the number of casualties of war, which in turn leads to international attention and exerts influence on discussions relating to global policy.[14]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Pawelke, A. and Tatevossian, A. (2013, May 8) Data philanthropy: where are we now? United Nations Global Pulse.
- ^ a b Coren, M. (2011, December 9) Data Philanthropy Open data for world-changing solutions. Fast Company.
- ^ a b Kirkpatrick, R. (2011, September 20). Data philanthropy is good for business Forbes.
- ^ Taddeo, M. (2016). "Data philanthropy and the design of the infraethics for information societies". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A. 374 (2083). DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2016.0113
- ^ a b c d e Schmidt, C. (2012). Trending Now: Using Social Media to Predict and Track Disease Outbreaks. Environ Health Perspect, 120(1), A30–a33-A30–a33.
- ^ Reddy, E. (2015, July 14). Using Twitter data to study the world's health Twitter.
- ^ O'Connor, F. (2015, August 20). Google Flu Trends calls out sick, indefinitely PC World.
- ^ a b Datz, T. (2012, October 11). Using cell phone data to curb the spread of malaria. Harvard Chan.
- ^ a b c d e f Data Philanthropy is Good for Business, by Robert Kirkpatrick, Forbes, 2011-09-20
- ^ a b c Lifting Up: How Big Data Can Help Eliminate Poverty, by Rick Delgado, Smart Data Collection , 2014-05-23
- ^ Data Philanthropy for Humanitarian Response, by Irevolution, 2012-07-04
- ^ Data Is a Form of Corporate Philanthropy, by Matt Stempeck,Harvard Business Review 2014-07-24
- ^ A New Type of Philanthropy: Donating Data, by Robert Kirkpatrick,Harvard Business Review 2013-03-21
- ^ a b c d Big Data Means More Than Big Profits, by Jim Fruchterman, Harvard Business Review, 2013-03-19
External links
- Data Philanthropy, where are we now? in UN Global Pulse blog by Adreas Pawelke and Anoush Rima Tatevossian (2013-05-08).
- TED Talk: Your Company's Data Could Help End World Hunger by Mallory Freeman, September 2016.
- DataKind