Alternative Data Insider (alternativedata.org) a new informational website supported by YipitData and other contributors, has launched a public database of alternative data sources available to all users. The database can be accessed here.
The database consists of approximately 136 data providers that Alternative Data Insider verified as relevant. “This list is based on over a thousand conversations with investors, vendors, and experts and these are the top data sources used by fundamental investors,” said Pablo Cerrilla, Director of Partnerships at YipitData. “We will regularly be adding to the list and look forward to connecting with providers that are focused in this space.”
Data sources are classified by categories ranging from application usage to web data, including some of the more popular segments such as credit card transactions, geolocation data and sentiment data. Excluded are more traditional types of data such as market, macro and financial data.
Alternative Data Insider also features a ‘stack’ which graphically represents the various alternative data providers. Each provider’s position is intended to indicate the relative hierarchy to other competitors within their primary data source or function (YipitData, the source of the stack occupies the most prominent position in the graphic[1]). Data providers in the clusters towards the top tend to be more focused on extracting insights and providing services for buy-side investors. Clusters that are positioned toward the bottom are more focused on data collection and quality assurance and tend to sell less to institutional investors.
Using data from the database, Alternative Data Insider also illustrates the increasing volume of alternative data providers, with the greatest proliferation occurring in the last seven years.
Our Take
The database offered by Alternative Data Insider is not as robust as some other sources, such as Eagle Alpha or Neudata, but it is freely available. Eagle Alpha’s database contains just under 500 datasets and includes information such as data collection frequency, delivery frequency, history, coverage. Neudata doesn’t disclose the number of datasets in its database but says it is adding around two per day and includes 60 to 80 metrics depending on the type of data.
[1] YipitData justifies this by arguing that its service is vertically integrated within its data source, provides very granular research and analyses, and is sold exclusively to institutional investors.