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Real examples / useful facts at work

When facts become useful.

Data alone does not do the job. People combine facts with tools, skill, and a good question.

Three stories to explore.

01

Public data → new tools

A view from space helps on the ground

Landsat satellites record changes on Earth. In 2008, their data became free to use. People built tools to study farms, forests, and water.

USGS describes OpenET using Landsat and other satellite data to help farmers and water managers understand crop water use.

The useful lesson

Open facts can support useful tools. The value can come from the tool, the skill, and the answer.

Based on U.S. Geological Survey examples.

Fifty Years of Landsat: Observing Earth to Look Forward ↗
02

Location data → better work

A tractor learns where to go

GPS tells equipment where it is. A farm map adds facts about the field. Together, they can help guide a tractor and show where to plant or treat the soil.

GPS.gov explains that field navigation can cut repeated work and missed areas. Farmers can use local soil facts to change how they treat parts of a field.

The useful lesson

Combining two kinds of facts can be more useful than keeping each one alone.

Uses and benefits described by GPS.gov.

Farming with GPS ↗
03

Business data → less waste

A better path for packages

A delivery truck has many stops. The order of those stops matters. UPS built ORION to help plan the route.

In a January 2020 company release, UPS said ORION had saved about 100 million miles and 10 million gallons of fuel per year.

The useful lesson

A small change, repeated many times, can add up. Data work also needs good maps, software, and people who use it.

Historical results reported by UPS in 2020; not an independently measured NDS result.

UPS To Enhance ORION With Continuous Delivery Route Optimization ↗UPS Deploys Purpose-Built Navigation For UPS Service Personnel ↗

The business side / acquisitions

Why do companies buy data businesses?

Sometimes a company buys another company. That is called an acquisition. It may want the tools, team, customers, brand, or rights to use information.

2016

Microsoft + LinkedIn

Microsoft bought LinkedIn, a network for people and jobs. Microsoft described plans to connect its work tools with LinkedIn's network.

Lesson: Connections between people, jobs, and skills can be useful. A working network also has software, a team, and a business.

Grown-up deal detail

The announced transaction was valued at $26.2 billion, including LinkedIn's net cash.

These are announcement measures for the transaction, not the price of raw data.

Microsoft to acquire LinkedIn ↗Microsoft and LinkedIn begin journey to empower professionals around the world to achieve more ↗
2019

Salesforce + Tableau

Salesforce bought Tableau. Tableau helps people turn facts into charts and see patterns.

Lesson: A tool that makes hard facts easier to understand can be a business asset.

Grown-up deal detail

The announced stock deal represented an enterprise value of $15.7 billion, net of cash, based on the stated June 2019 share-price measure.

These are announcement measures for the transaction, not the price of raw data.

Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Tableau ↗Salesforce Completes Acquisition of Tableau ↗
Consumer Magazine by Consumer.info: The Power of the Consumer coverFROM THE NDS PUBLISHING FAMILY

A real example / Consumer Magazine

A table of facts
can become
a story for people.

This is data journalism. We use records to ask and check questions, then report the story.

Most people do not want a giant spreadsheet. They want to know: What does this mean for my family?

ConsumerMagazine.US and Consumer.info show how the NDS family brings public records, maps, and plain-language reporting to everyday choices.

Public records→Useful questions→A story you can read
Visit ConsumerMagazine.US Visit Consumer.info
Explore the consumer intelligence report ↗

How Consumer Magazine uses data journalism →

Magazine artwork supplied in the NDS asset. Consumer.info identifies itself as powered by National Data System™. Articles have their own sources, dates, and disclosures.

GOTDATA.INFO / EVERYDAY LIFE. EVERYDAY DATA.

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