Comments on: Why Pay for Data? Even Pirate Attacks are Free! http://blog.geoiq.com/2007/10/17/why-pay-for-data-even-pirate-attacks-are-free/ News and updates from GeoIQ Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:55:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: mapufacture blog » Gathering Critical Mass on the GeoWeb http://blog.geoiq.com/2007/10/17/why-pay-for-data-even-pirate-attacks-are-free/#comment-219 mapufacture blog » Gathering Critical Mass on the GeoWeb Mon, 22 Oct 2007 16:52:10 +0000 http://blog.fortiusone.com/2007/10/17/why-pay-for-data-even-pirate-attacks-are-free/#comment-219 [...] FortiusOne, in building their geodata, wonder aloud again over openness — with the emerging GeoWeb, won’t all data be really free? Platial, ever sharp on the bottom line, sketch out how free and open data could create business [...] [...] FortiusOne, in building their geodata, wonder aloud again over openness — with the emerging GeoWeb, won’t all data be really free? Platial, ever sharp on the bottom line, sketch out how free and open data could create business [...]

]]> By: The Pushpin Team http://blog.geoiq.com/2007/10/17/why-pay-for-data-even-pirate-attacks-are-free/#comment-218 The Pushpin Team Thu, 18 Oct 2007 23:39:09 +0000 http://blog.fortiusone.com/2007/10/17/why-pay-for-data-even-pirate-attacks-are-free/#comment-218 As data junkies and map junkies, we enjoyed your pirate map. There has definitely been a sea-change (pun intended) in the availability of mappable free data. We think GeoCommons is a seminal development in that area, and we completely agree that public data should always be free and public. It seems you were implying that commercial data has no reason to exist, however. With this we disagree. As you know, the best commercial data vendors add significant value to public datasets before they sell their product. For example, when it comes to the current and 5-year forward demographic projections that are used in many serious business and government applications, the assumptions, sampling, econometric expertise, and simply well-honed judgment that commercial vendors bring is critical. When you buy commercial data you are paying for work that happens after it was captured that makes it current and relevant. Free 2000 data is great to have, but not good enough for every application. Now as we see it, commercial data has been out of reach cost wise for many (perhaps most) applications that could use it. That’s why we have a unique pricing model that charges by transaction rather than by data set. Our customers pay only for what they use. So we think of this as a way of democratizing commercial data – not as cheap as free, of course, but outstanding value nevertheless. And by the way, our thematic map API (http://www.pushpin.com/demo) works just as well for free data as for commercial data. Thanks for GeoCommons, fortiusone guys! - The Pushpin Developer Team As data junkies and map junkies, we enjoyed your pirate map. There has definitely been a sea-change (pun intended) in the availability of mappable free data. We think GeoCommons is a seminal development in that area, and we completely agree that public data should always be free and public.

It seems you were implying that commercial data has no reason to exist, however. With this we disagree.

As you know, the best commercial data vendors add significant value to public datasets before they sell their product. For example, when it comes to the current and 5-year forward demographic projections that are used in many serious business and government applications, the assumptions, sampling, econometric expertise, and simply well-honed judgment that commercial vendors bring is critical. When you buy commercial data you are paying for work that happens after it was captured that makes it current and relevant. Free 2000 data is great to have, but not good enough for every application.

Now as we see it, commercial data has been out of reach cost wise for many (perhaps most) applications that could use it. That’s why we have a unique pricing model that charges by transaction rather than by data set. Our customers pay only for what they use. So we think of this as a way of democratizing commercial data – not as cheap as free, of course, but outstanding value nevertheless.

And by the way, our thematic map API (http://www.pushpin.com/demo) works just as well for free data as for commercial data.

Thanks for GeoCommons, fortiusone guys!

- The Pushpin Developer Team

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