I have previously posted pieces about data.world, an Austin-based startup focused on providing a powerful platform for data preparation, analysis, and collaboration.

data.world were previously a client where I helped to shape their community strategy and I have maintained a close relationship with them ever since.

I am delighted to share that I have accepted an offer to join their Advisory Board. As with most advisory boards, this will be a part-time role where I will provide guidance and support to the organization as they grow.

Why I Joined

Without wishing to sound terribly egotistical, I often get offers to participate in an advisory capacity with various organizations. I am typically loathed to commit too much as I am already rather busy, but I wanted to make an exception for data.world.

Why? There are a few reasons.

Firstly, the team are focusing on a really important problem. As our world becomes increasingly connected, we are generating more and more data. Sadly, much of this data is in different places, difficult to consume, and disconnected from other data sets.

data.world provides a place where data can be stored, sanitized/prepped, queried, and collaborated around. In fact, I believe that collaboration is the secret sauce: when we combine a huge variety of data sets, a consistent platform for querying, and a community with the ingenuity and creative flair for querying that data…we have a powerful enabler for data discovery.

data.world provides a powerful set of tools for storing, prepping, querying, and collaborating around data.

There is a particularly pertinent opportunity here. Buried inside individual data sets there are opportunities to make new discoveries, find new patterns/correlations, and use data as a means to make better decisions. When you are able to combine data sets, the potential for discovery exponentially grows, whether you are a professional researcher or an armchair enthusiast.

This is why the community is so important. In the same way GitHub provided a consistent platform for millions of developers to create, fork, share, and collaborate around code…both professionals and hobbyists…data.world has the same potential for data.

…and this is why I am excited to be a part of the data.world Advisory Board. Stay tuned for more!