What do libraries, the Human Genome Project, and Python (the programming language, not the snake) have in common?
They each illustrate how access to a shared, freely available resource can benefit communities in profound ways. Libraries provide resources for communities of all ages and means, Python began and continues to be maintained as an open-source language that is now the second most used programming language on GitHub, and the Human Genome Project project catalyzed advances in medicine that would have been inconceivable had the work been privately held.
When we apply this sort of idea specifically to data that is a shared, freely available resource for the benefit of the public, it’s known as “data commons.” Wikipedia, Data.gov, and, yes, you guessed it, Open Supply Hub are examples of data commons.
Management of Data Commons
In addition to being a shared resource that is openly accessible and for the public benefit, data commons are typically managed—meaning that the data in the commons may be transformed or moderated in some way to ensure that it adheres to quality and content standards.
For Wikipedia, management of the commons involves millions of volunteer editors who carry the responsibility to maintain accurate articles, some of which have upwards of 1000 references. At Open Supply Hub, we also manage the data that, so far, we have received from over 1.6 million uploaded records. The task of managing data, in OS Hub’s case, looks a little different than at Wikipedia. Whereas Wikipedia editors are fact-checking and looking for offensive content, the job of OS Hub data moderators is to review the decisions made by our matching algorithm to determine if two or more uploaded records are referring to the same production location or not. When our moderators find two or more records that should be a single record, the two profiles are merged into one.
For example, the OS Hub profile for Guangdong Billion Union Textile Co., Ltd has these two addresses on the profile:
• Sanmen Industrial Park Tangtang Town Fogang County Qingyuan 511600
• No. 2 Tangtang East Section, 106 National Road, Tangtang Town, Fogang Country, Guangdong Province, Qingyuan – China
At first glance, these two addresses may look like they refer to two separate locations – one located in an industrial park and the other off of a main highway. Through our standard data moderation practices, we can confirm that despite each address using a different level of resolution (one referring to the campus where the unit is located and the other using a more detailed mailing address for the unit), these two addresses do refer to the same location.
Note that the first, less specific address that refers to the industrial park was contributed in December 2021. For almost a year, that was the most detailed address that had been contributed for this production location. In October 2022, the higher resolution address that included the unit number and additional details was uploaded by another contributor to OS Hub.
A Living, Breathing Dataset
So, why is this detail on the timing of contributions important? It perfectly illustrates the value of living, breathing data commons where thousands of contributors are uploading the data they have about production locations. The data quality that we see on OS Hub varies from very low-quality names and addresses, where only a neighborhood and country are referenced, to addresses where you could send a package with confidence. Supply chains are dynamic, and so too are the location, contact, ownership, and relationship details that characterize a given production location at a moment in time.
When data about supply chain locations is updated regularly, made openly available, and moderated in such a way that our knowledge of a given location improves over time, it offers a catalyst for more sustainable, equitable, and resilient supply chains.
What does that look like in practice? With the help of Open Supply Hub’s data commons, Worker Rights Consortium is able to find links with factories where labor violations are occurring, the Alliance for Water Stewardship easily identifies water hotspots and stakeholders to collaborate with, and ASDA is able to continuously improve on the completeness and accuracy with which they understand their own supply chain.
Check out more stories of impact through the use of Open Supply Hub’s data commons.
OS Hub is a non-profit platform that relies on philanthropic support to sustain the world’s most complete, open and accessible supply chain map. Join us in powering the transition to safe and sustainable supply chains by making a donation today.
