ODX welcomes Chris Willsher to the team as a Data Growth Coach. Chris spent the past 12 years at Pelmorex, better known as The Weather Network, as Director, Distribution. In this role, he was responsible for creating data distribution strategies and working with partners to provide them access to the company’s weather information. During his time there, he gained experience in licensing and rights issues, delivery methods, and crowd-sourcing data.
As Data Growth Coach, Chris will help companies to build their data-based businesses. This includes uncovering other sources of data, whether open or licensed, and providing strategic guidance on how to enhance their business. His past experience will complement ODX’s existing knowledge base and enhance its ability to deliver value for companies.
Why do you feel open data is important?
Having worked with The Weather Network, I was able to see first-hand how open data can be harnessed to drive economic growth. The origins of open weather data from government organizations dates back to the 1950s. Today we have an industry sector that generates significant economic value. And while most weather companies rely on a variety of data sources, open data is key to their business. So I feel the opportunities to develop new industries built on open data are out there. It’s a matter of finding the right opportunities to bring business and government together to generate the innovative new ideas that will drive economic growth. The ODX team has done a great job in creating these connections and setting data businesses up for success. I look forward to being a part of the next phase of growth in open data.
What excites you most about working with ODX?
The ability to work with companies to help define their data needs and assist them in uncovering solutions. Even in the short time I have been in this role, it has been invigorating to see some of the ideas companies have and how open data can play a role in delivering their solution. The opportunity to be a part of that ecosystem and help drive these new ideas forward is something I thrive on. So I look forward to working with the ODX/Communitech team to help devise solutions that will make data an important lever for companies to build their businesses on.
What experience do you feel you can bring to ODX clients?
The experience I had in creating a data distribution business I feel is where I can bring some additional value. I think there are a number of companies out there that have data that has high value and could leverage it by distributing it to external parties. There are two positive outcomes from this. First, the company distributing the data can reap new benefits either through marketing exposure, new revenue sources, innovation development or some other format. Second, by allowing access to the data, it generates the potential for new businesses to build upon the data in ways that may be a completely unforeseen by the originating company. So it adds additional fuel to the innovation engine and compounds economic growth. I think it will be exciting to assist companies in better understanding the potential value they can create by making their data available and ensuring they do so in the most productive way possible.
What challenges might a company come up against in establishing a data distribution business?
Companies need to have a clear view of why they want to distribute data, who they want to distribute it to, how they want to distribute it. It needs to be treated like any other product they may be putting out on the market. Like anything, you need to have thought through some of these initial questions to ensure what you put out there is going to be useful to developers. Otherwise, it won’t achieve the results you had hoped for.
The business model around your data business can be a challenge as well. I recognize many companies are hesitant to put data out there as open data. However, there are benefits that can be derived from having at least some of the data freely available for developers to access. It can create that hook that draws them into your ecosystem. Once they have started to develop on your platform, they are more likely to come to you first for additional data. If their experience with you has been positive, then they are much more likely to want to stick with your solution as opposed to migrating to another source. Plus, it keeps you close to what these companies are developing. So in a way it can create an offshoot R&D department without incurring the operating costs.
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Want to book a one-on-one with the Data Expert?
As the ODX Data Growth Coach, Chris Willsher is here to answer all of your data-driven questions. Need help building a data distribution strategy? Want to understand the benefits of releasing your data as open data for developers? Have general questions about the power of your data? Get in contact with Chris.
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