Data commons is an approach that seeks to generate sustainable value by sharing data in common, whilst giving people control over their personal data. Currently the data from our city’s traffic, our smart meters and municipal air quality sensors is harvested, processed and marketed in an opaque way. We share the data with several unkown underlying parties. Big technology firms attract users with beautiful “free” products. These offer users social connection for the hidden cost of sharing their data. These “services” are a black box: opening or adjusting them according to your own needs and ideas is not an option, whether you’re an individual or a community.

The data commons are a public, freely accessible infrastructure through which we can remotely read and control devices and sensors. People are able to create, apply and adapt the required smart devices their selves. Maybe you want to share the data that you generate, or maybe not; either way, you should be able to determine that for yourself. Is this possible? We do think so! The technology is ready and the possibilities are up for grabs!During the evening we will go deeper into the data commons and give a number of striking examples of data commons in action. Together we will build an actual common for a civil data set; the way we use our bikes in the cities and the data that we generate by cycling around.

This night is a collaboration between DataCommons and Waag.

Speakers

• Maud de Vries – BYCS
• Janine Hogendoorn – Ring Ring
• Gerrit Jan van ‘t Veen – DataCommons
• Socrates Schouten – Waag (moderator)