An Ecological Approach to Data Governance

Data are currency. They provide the fuel for both decision-making and profit-making. Data offer
evidence for enhancing health services, infrastructure, zoning, and for addressing
environmental concerns. But data collection and use is spurring conflicts between cities,
corporate and civil society organizations, and constituents on the grounds of data ownership,
access, privacy, and security, spilling into the courts, the media, and public discourse.
In this talk I trace these conflicts to our perception of data as a singular piece of property. A
better metaphor for data would be that of a networked representation or observation in an
ecosystem. I argue that we require an ecological approach for understanding this era of
emergent technology and data -- both for creating adequate policy, and for protecting the
vulnerable.