A market analysis on data ecosystem initiators and their value propositions in different ecosystems

The concept of data ecosystems is proposed as a solution to organise and manage increasingly complex data processes. A common narrative found in literature is that, using an ecosystem approach, an increased amount of data will be available, of higher quality, and this will lead to an increase in innovation. Even though these benefits seem promising at first, data ecosystems are not standard practice yet. A critical look at the way the market is implementing this concept is needed. A market analysis was performed on the different services that initiate and support data ecosystems. Three main ecosystem types, based on their scope, were identified: (1) single-organisation ecosystems, (2) application domain specific ecosystems, and (3) cross-domain ecosystems. Challenging these benefits of data ecosystems, this market analysis revealed that achieving the innovation potential and actual data reuse remains a challenge, especially for more broadly scoped ecosystems. Consequently, a successful data ecosystem implementation will require a critical assessment of its data reuse and innovation potential. • Expected benefits of data ecosystems are not all reflected in reality. • Different ecosystem scopes have varying characteristics, affecting these benefits. • Broader data sharing leads to more innovation potential, but less actual innovation. • In broader ecosystems re-usable data is available, actual purpose for re-use lacks.