A new service from UK start-up, Brainnwave, is offering a new method for quick, easy access to datasets from around the world, including geospatial data from the likes of Ordnance Survey, Airbus Defence and Space, and Skyscanner.
Brainnwave is new online data discovery and access marketplace that aims to reduce the time and resources spent by data scientists and business analysts in finding and accessing data.
Brainnwave promises users access to ‘slices’ of data relevant to them and prices it accordingly. This replaces the ‘all or nothing’ model for data acquisition, which has cost and relevance implications.
Geospatial data insights cut across industry boundaries.”
This overcomes the key challenge faced by those at the heart of leveraging the benefits promised by data, is the disproportionate time devoted to sourcing data in a usable format (some 80% of time) compared to actually analysing it and identifying insights (20%). A recent Brainnwave survey underlines the weight of this challenge with 82% of data specialists either agreeing that this so-called 80:20 paradigm is accurate or much worse.
Don Baker, Brainnwave founder, explains: “Data drives decisions. Brainnwave wants to make managing your data library as easy as managing your music, photo and video libraries online. We are tackling the access challenge head on by making it easier and faster to find the data needed.”
Baker also highlighted the value of easy access for geospatial data: “The pioneering platform supports discovery and seamless access to any kind of data, notably geospatial data. Almost every piece of data has a location and time aspect to it. The potential insights are therefore increased making it potentially more valuable.”
“Geospatial data insights cut across industry boundaries,” Baker said. “For instance a health application could use geospatial insights to help understand disease spread geographically whereas the renewable energy sector may find specific geo data from dedicated drones hugely useful in monitoring and planning their windfarm maintenance programme.”
Anthony Mills, Account Manager of Ordnance Survey, says: “We are pleased to support Brainnwave in the launch of their innovative new service that makes it easy for customers to discover, buy and access our data products online and on-demand.”
Brainnwave was set up by Don Baker, who has had a career working with complex and secure data having worked for the US Government, along with CEO Steve Coates, former UK entrepreneur of the year and CTO, Graham Jones, former senior software engineer at Bloomberg.
The Brainnwave team has secured significant seed equity from two private equity firms as well as a SE grant of £500,000. It is growing fast and currently has a team of 20 based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Scottish Innovation Centre, The Data Lab, also played a crucial role by funding an academic partnership with the University of Edinburgh and The University of Glasgow, which allowed Brainnwave to develop the technology behind the unique data marketplace platform.
