On 23 April 2021, the Advanced Technology for Industry (ATI) project published its Technology Watch about Technology Focus on Data Sharing. The report is part of a series of analytical reports on advanced technologies’ trends and focuses on the evolution of data sharing as an advanced technology fostering the digital transformation of Europe.
Over the last years, the amount of data has grown substantially and is expected to further increase exponentially. According to the European strategy for data, data has a massive impact on our lives, and in combination with proper analytics data can become the cornerstone of both the public and the private sector. The report discusses that the growth in data will create business opportunities, as data holds enormous potential in various fields, such as health, food security and resource efficiency – and is therefore considered an essential resource for economic growth. Nevertheless, the potential of data can only be unlocked when shared.
Besides discussing the potential of economic growth that can be achieved by data sharing, the report furthermore examines the societal and environmental impact data sharing can have. An increase in energy efficiency, improvements in health care and biodiversity, and contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals can all be achieved by sharing data.
Nevertheless, there are also some ethical implications that the industry must be aware of. The report also addresses this, by giving an overview of legislation, regulation, and policies regarding data sharing. The report ends by trying to identify current and potential ethical problems and discusses the success of current legislation regarding these issues. In other words, the report gives a full overview of both the benefits and the potential problems related to data sharing.
Additional Technology Watch reports include the Technology Focus on Artificial Intelligence and Technology Focus on Cloud Computing. For more information on advanced technologies in Europe, explore the ATI project website.