As the world keeps rapidly waking up to the new data revolution, with the consolidation of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the upcoming mainstream of Blockchain technology, some complex terminology has arisen that might confuse the minds of the less acquainted.

The terms “sensor data” and “datasets” have been repeatedly used in this channel to highlight some of the many benefits of the DataBroker DAO platform. However, does the majority of readers know what they mean?

In the case of sensor data, the best definition is: valuable data generated when hardware devices, known as sensors, digitize information from the physical world. This data, in its turn, is just like any other data coming from different sources, meaning it needs thorough cleansing, analysis and governance while at the same time presenting some distinct properties, mainly around its stream of information versus time.

Sensor data can also be explained as the output of a device that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment. The output may be used to provide information or input to another system or to guide a process. Not all data is meaningful but at the same time, all data is destined to have some value, even if not known at the immediate time of collection. It is in fact a complete ecosystem.

What kind of sensor data are we talking about?

So, sensors measure physical quantities such as light, pressure, temperature, sound and humidity. We call them temperature sensors, IR sensor, smoke and gas sensors, pressure sensor, ultrasonic sensors, touch sensor, proximity sensors, level sensors… they all send signals to a processor. For more details about sensors, data and sensor manufacturers that already became DataBroker DAO alliance partners, check out the DataBroker DAO white paper on the website.

At this point, sensor data is mostly kept in silos and depends on centralised systems to reach those who might be willing to buy or sell information. However, with the launch of Databroker DAO, a decentralised marketplace for IoT sensor data, sensor owners are able to turn generated data into revenue streams, opening a wealth of opportunities for various industries.

DataBroker DAO: the challenge and the solution

A dataset, however, is somewhat a simpler concept, being widely perceived as a collection of data. A dataset refers to the contents of a single database table, or a single statistical data matrix, where each column represents a particular variable. On that same table or matrix, each row corresponds to an element given of the dataset in question. The values on datasets are known individually as datums.

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