Free Data – Your Competitive Advantage

We are a society awash in data. You carry more data in your pocket (cell phone) than NASA had available when they put men on the moon. This staggering amount of data is used to sell you things, 9 out of 10 dentists approved. It’s also used to make you afraid of things, 1 person will die in a drunk-driving accident every 50 minutes. The power of the data available is not in question, the question is; how can a small business get and use this data to their advantage?

There are several places to find data for use in your small business. Ranging from raw data to data that has already been analyzed these sources provide information that can prove invaluable to your ability to make informed business decisions.

Infochimps

This site is trying to become the Wikipedia of data. They have an amazing array of sources that range from official government data to crowd sourced entries. Without a great data analysis team you’ll find this data a bit hard to use.

 

Freebase

Pulling updated data from the SEC, Wikipedia and other sources this site provides an easy to navigate repository of disparate data that can really enhance your data warehouse. While the site is very easy to navigate, consuming the data will take an expert.

Numbrary

An amazing collection of numerical data pulled from some of the best sources around. Most of the sources are U.S. Government based, but there is a smattering of others. As the name suggests this site is dedicated to purely numeric data and that can be huge benefit to a small business. Imagine cross referencing your sales and marketing data with income and census information.

 
The great data that is now readily accessible is allowing small businesses to make much more informed decisions. Gone are the days of guessing how many people in a given local can afford your product, you can know. All of these sites provide a wealth of great information, but it isn’t as easy as clicking and suddenly being imbued with knowledge. The data must be analyzed and visualized in a way that will allow better decisions to be made.

The knowledge that comes from a great business intelligence solution will increase profits, reduce costs and take your business to the next level. We can help you tap into these sources in order to gain a competitive advantage in your market. Data wrangling isn’t easy, let an expert help your small business get started.

4 Comments

• 
  Lisa September 4, 2011 at 12:45 AM

  Very nice, i suggest webmaster can set up a forum, so that we can talk and communicate.

  Reply
• 
  Nancy October 4, 2011 at 11:22 PM

  Thanks for the share!
  Nancy.R

  Reply
  • 
    Bobbe January 9, 2012 at 6:16 AM

    Shoot, who would have thought that it was that easy?

    Reply
• 
  Krystallynn January 9, 2012 at 6:48 AM

  Wow! Great thinking! JK

  Reply