Flemish Universities want improvements in research databases

Who uses your data and who does not like it? If it were up to three Flemish universities, this would be possible in the future. Together imec, A research center for nanoelectronics and digital technology, where they explore the possibilities of data repositories. The Flemish government is allocating 7 million euros for research. The extent to which data repositories can compete with larger data is explored. “It’s necessary because it’s not just about big data privacy issues.

Innovative power

Big data and privacy scams. The two concepts are inextricably linked. Found Facebook two years ago Record $ 5 billion fine Imposed. But there are more drawbacks to combining large amounts of data together. Inhibiting the innovative power of big data companies. “If a technology company wants to mark something, it collects data,” says Werborg. “It takes a lot of time and money. In addition, it’s very difficult for small companies to compete with data giants like Facebook. So big data does not contribute to innovation. Winning is not a very innovative player, but a high data collector.

So it’s time for a change. Flemish University, Ghent University, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Catholic University of Leuven, in collaboration with Imec to explore alternatives to big data in the project Solid Lab“Every person should keep their own data safe for storing their data. Companies and applications should seek access to use this data. It is a simple idea with key effects for innovation. You only need to enter your data once. After that, it can be fully reused.”

Recognition

The fact that SolidLab has received a grant of மில்லியன் 7 million is the best recognition of the potential of data security, says Werborg. “The government recognizes that we need to be prepared for a different kind of data economy.” Flanders, with a population of about six million, missed the boat when it came to the big data economy. The same goes for other parts of Europe. The United States and China play a key role in this game. “With this plan, the government will support the future data economy, so innovation in Europe”.

Read our previous article about SolidLab here

The project focuses on technical, social and financial challenges. The central question is how to deal with the large number of small data collections at the technical and socio-economic level. Werborg: “If we want to set up data protection for six million citizens, we really need to set up six million repositories. So we have to work very differently from what we do with big data, there are some big places where all the data is stored. But it’s worth the effort, because the positive effects are great. ”

In addition, more knowledge in the social field is required. “For example, look at the legal aspects. What happens if electronic data becomes a person’s property? How do you explain this new invention to users? We focus on that in this project as well.”

Moving digitally

To test data findings, the program often works with utility events. One of these is My Digital Move, in which the data boxes need to make sure that a move is running smoothly. “When you move today, you have to manually send the moving details to the energy company and the municipality. In the future, you will place the move-related data in a database, which can then be accessed by any service provider with your permission.

Connecting islands

Verborgh believes the three major Flemish universities are now putting their heads together to make SolidLab a success. “In computer science, my colleagues and I are each on the island of technology. We focus mainly on how to tackle technical challenges, but of course we are dealing with a much more complex story. As universities we need one. Others are excellent at exploring economic and social structures. We can use all the expertise.

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