What is it about?

The coalition agreement of the Federal Government provides for the establishment of a Data Institute in Germany. It is intended to be a public and independent institution tasked with implementing data policy measures. Specifically, the coalition agreement proposes that the new institute should "drive forward data availability and standardisations, and establish data trustee models and licences." Furthermore, the Digital Strategy of the Federal Government sets the goal of increasing data availability in a "practical and needs-based" manner, with the help of a Data Institute. As a central contact point in the data ecosystem, the institution is expected to take on these tasks in an advisory and networking role.

How can businesses benefit?

The shared use and exchange of data play a decisive role in the competitiveness of the economy. Higher data availability can enable innovations and new business models. However, many businesses encounter technical hurdles in exchanging data, such as missing interfaces or standards.

A Data Institute could help disseminate uniform data standards and ensure a unified functionality of interfaces. Additionally, it could play a significant role in establishing data trustee models with "neutral data brokers." The potential of data provided by public authorities could also be leveraged by a Data Institute. Often, public data is not readily usable by businesses because it resides on various carriers, in diverse, non-interoperable registers, and in differing formats.

An Example

A bike-sharing app wants to offer its users optimal routes while indicating time savings compared to using public transport. To achieve this, the app providers might require data from (at least) two different transport operators: Deutsche Bahn and a municipal transport company. If both companies provide the data in different formats, it increases the effort for the app providers. A Data Institute could address this and promote the dissemination of standardised data formats.