# Data Platforms
**Domain:** Information Technology, Economics, Platform Studies
**Doc Type:** Concept Node
**Classification:** Infrastructure Concept
**Maturity:** Evolving
**Related:** [[Data Infrastructure]], [[Data Stack]], [[Digital Administrative Infrastructure]], [[Coordination Technology]]
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## Definition
**Software and organizational systems that aggregate data from multiple sources, enable access for multiple users, and facilitate transactions or analysis built on that data**. Platforms create markets or governance systems by making information visible and actionable.
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## General Context
Data platforms (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud, national data repositories) have become infrastructural. They enable data-driven decision-making by organizations that lack their own data collection capacity. Platform governance determines who accesses what data on what terms.
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## Governance Context
Climate governance increasingly relies on private data platforms. AWS hosts NOAA weather data; proprietary platforms integrate climate models, financial data, and decision support for investors.
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## Financial Systems Context
Financial data platforms integrate climate risk data, parametric insurance triggers, and asset pricing models. They determine which climate signals become investment-relevant.
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## Key Insight
Data platforms concentrate control. Whoever operates the platform controls what data is collected, who can access it, how it's priced, and what uses are permitted. Platform operations appear technical while encoding governance choices.
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## See Also
[[Computational Architecture]], [[Governance]], [[Financial Markets Modeling]]