How do data collaboration projects work?
Updated: Apr 18
The DCA enables charties, nonprofits, and corporate-for-good teams to host data crowdsourcing projects that result in datasets that they can make accessible for tech-for-good initiatives (dashboards, apps) while retaining 100% control.
How do data collabs work?
Hosting a data collab project is similar to co-writing a Google Doc where people compose the words while the software provides suggestions and automates access controls and backup.
​ | Document Collaboration | Data Collaboration |
Focus | Files hosted on shared document applications e.g. Google Docs | Datasets hosted on data collaboration platform e.g. Collaboration Hub |
Purpose | Produce better quality documents, more efficiently and with greater diversity of ideas | Produce better quality documents, more efficiently and with greater diversity of intelligences |
Process | People and software simultaneously add, edit, suggest, correct | People and software simultaneously add, edit, enrich, correct |
Protection | Software supports auto-backup and auto-versioning | ​Software supports auto-backup and auto-versioning |
Governance | Document-level access controls | Data-layer access controls |
​Use cases | ​Business proposals, press releases, blog posts, policies | Reference data, web applications, dashboards, maps |
What types of projects do data collabs support?
Data collab projects typically focus on one of the following domains:
Data Privacy and Data Protection
Sustainability & Cleantech
Public Health
Smart Cities
Finance & Open Banking
Public Education
Open Society
Agriculture & Food Security
How is the data used?
Owners are invited to grant the DCA access to their datasets for re-use in multiple digital solutions that are hosted in our Collaboration Hub, including:
Reference datasets, data catalogs
Dashboards
Precision maps
Web applications
All apps and dashboards are built using a pioneering Data Collaboration Platform so that the data is never copied and the controls set by data owners are never eroded.
Is there support for volunteers?
Yes. The Data Collaboration Alliance supports volunteers across a variety of project operations, including
Connecting data sources (e.g. spreadsheets, databases)
Setting up data tables / schemas
Creating data collection forms
Automating data governance / access controls
Building digital solutions e.g. dashboards, maps, web apps
Are there examples?
Sure! Check out these free anonymous apps-for-good that have been delivered as a result of data collab projects:
How is data protected?
Our development process complies with Zero-Copy Integration, a new national standard that defines the parameters for true data collaboration, including the elimination of app-specific databases and copy-based data integration.
The result is meaningful control for all data stakeholders and new digital solutions delivered with unprecented control, collaboration, and cost-effectiveness.
Getting started
We welcome applications from organizations who are interested in sponsoring a new data collab / app-for-good project.
We also offer sponsorship packages for the free applications already available in the app marketplace of our Collaboration Hub.