The Data Tank
a think and do tank
Why The Data Tank?
When high-quality, relevant and trustworthy data is sourced, made accessible and re-used responsibly, it can help all of us to make better informed decisions. At a time when our planet faces complex challenges such as climate change, social inequality, economic disruption, it’s vital that we make the most of this data. That’s why The Data Tank exists, collaborating with you to turn that vision into reality.
Serving the common good together, by using data differently.
Data is an essential part of our everyday lives. But many of us feel confused, concerned or sidelined by it, because the digital world moves so fast. And yet, the data that concerns us has amazing potential. If it’s used responsibly, it will help us to make better informed decisions about our future.
So, what is The Data Tank?
The Data Tank is much more than re-using data: The Data Tank is about people solving problems.
We must unlock data’s potential now
Time is not on our side as our planet faces deep social, economic and environmental change, heightened by a succession of crises, including the pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine. These pressing challenges show how interdependent we are. To tackle them, we need access to meaningful, trustworthy data – current data that allows us to keep pace with events and make critical decisions under pressure.
Changing the debate about data
Until now, the conversation around data has been dominated by concerns about privacy, protection, and profit. This debate is understandable and valid. The problem, however, is about more than just data misuse. It is also about missed opportunities to re-use data within and across different fields for the benefit of society. This is what The Data Tank sets out to address.
Our vision means a significant shift in how we think about data, how we access it and what we do with it. We work with partners around the globe to unlock data’s potential: gathering, accessing, and re-using it responsibly, to better equip us to tackle the pressing issues of our time.
Doing this together
At The Data Tank, we partner with organizations and individuals across the globe, who believe in our mission to serve the common good by using data differently. They span private, public and voluntary sectors, and include universities, businesses and governmental bodies. We pool the learning from people doing innovative hands-on work, identifying best practice from projects around the world. And we share those examples with policymakers, so they can draw on the latest thinking – and doing – to shape Data Governance in the coming months and years.
Creating the space to do it
Our vision means a significant shift in how we all think about data: how we access it and what we do with it. It’s a very different place to the one where we live now, which is full of worry about privacy, security and hoarding. It’s not easy to move towards a world where data is reused and shared, willingly and responsibly. We understand that. We all want reassurance that it can be done safely. Which is why we need to create a participatory framework to establish a Social License, to reuse data in ways that can serve the common good. And where trusted Data Stewards will help to create that change, every day.
