A Taxonomy for Data Ecosystems

Abstract

In the increasingly interconnected business world, economic value is less and less created by one company alone but rather through the combination and enrichment of data by various actors in so-called data ecosystems. The research field around data ecosystems is, however, still in its infancy. With this study, we want to address this issue and contribute to a deeper understanding of data ecosystems. Therefore, we develop a taxonomy for data ecosystems which is grounded both theoretically through the linkage to the scientific knowledge base and empirically through the analyses of data ecosystem use cases. The resulting taxonomy consists of key dimensions and characteristics of data ecosystems and contributes to a better scientific understanding of this concept. Practitioners can use the taxonomy as an instrument to further understand, design and manage the data ecosystems their organizations are involved in.