“Too long and too much have data been seen as a necessary evil to get a specific process done”

What are trends, happenings or situations you foresee or expect next year within your field of expertise in 2022?

“2022 will hopefully be the year we break though our misconceptions about data and information. We see it today in attempts to describe its value by using classic resources like oil and gold as metaphors. But data, like for example music or literature, is not ‘spent’ when used. Sharing should be the norm, even in competitive arenas, as the benefits from efficiency gains and innovation outweigh by far the temporary advantage one gets from trying to stem the tide when hoarding data”.

Ok, so how can we go differently about this then?

“To see these gains, we must start making cocktails, the data kind! Blending different data either between organizations, or different functions within one, or both, will allow the pursuit of new solutions to old problems, or even a toehold towards tackling brand new ones. Too long and too much have data been seen as a necessary evil to get a specific process done. In just a few years we will be putting palms to foreheads thinking: “Why didn’t we see and reach for this potential earlier!”

Making cocktails sounds like a cool and innovative thing to do – and of course the blending of the data needs to be done in a responsible and secure way. How do you think everyone should work together to make this happen – thinking about the data owners, the “blenders” and the society at large?

“Data and information will hopefully enter the political arena, because it is starting to be understood that data is a critical national resource in every way this is defined. It lies at the heart of our efficiency and sovereignty as nations, in our ability to efficiently manage our traditional resources and create quality services and improved quality of life in all of its phases. At the moment many branches of government are thankfully spearheading great advances, and cyber defence units have become the norm.

Still, the principal, value-based discussion on data and information’s position and function in society, and individual lives, is nowhere near high enough or informed enough on the public agenda - with perhaps the exception of GDPR, an important perspective and a necessary piece of legislation. Unfortunately, it is not able to live up to its own ambition to not stifle innovation.

A democratic society generally postulate rights and obligations that come with participation. It is time we start discussing also what obligations we have as citizens to share information, in order to do better for everyone and how do we define and enact ownership. You may think there is no alternative to our current norm. The kicker is that many of our conceptions, practices and laws related to ownership of data is stuck in the same mode that made it seem sensible to use oil and gold as metaphors.