A data sharing tool is a system that allows real-time sharing of data across multiple systems. These platforms typically combine security, scalability and governance, while facilitating use for non-technical business users. These platforms are not intended to be static, unlike traditional single-box solutions. They are designed to support real-time data sharing. This includes supporting multiple consumers, producers cloud, divisions or companies, as well as high rates of data throughput and bidirectional flows, as well as enabling ongoing and one-time data exchanges.
In a medical setting this means sharing deidentified patient records to other doctors and researchers. This allows collaboration on research projects in order to improve patient care and speed up the development of medical treatments. It also allows rapid second opinions and helps patients choose the most appropriate treatment options.
Data sharing also helps research to be more efficient. Researchers can share their resources and expertise to avoid duplication of effort and allowing them perform more comprehensive trend analyses across the entire geographical or topic area. Researchers can also save money by using existing data.
Finally, in a public sector instance, Airbnb recently shared anonymized host data with New York City to help solve the issue of illegal short-term rentals. This demonstrates how sharing data can benefit both the public and private sector.