How Does Data Philanthropy Impact Global Health When Mediated through Digital Epidemiology?

Data philanthropy is the donation of private firm data, data workers, and data technologies for the purpose of collaborations that benefit society. When combined with digital epidemiology, defined as the study of the spread of disease that is researched through digital means, successful outcomes have provided much needed actionable information to policy makers, health organizations, and the public. Using qualitative interpretive methods, we build theory around this phenomenon and provide a practical research agenda for further empirical studies. Our research indicates that data philanthropy in all its manifestations (data, data workers, and technology) is a crucial resource for the efficacy of digital epidemiology and its role in improving health outcomes. Filling data gaps, aggregating heterogeneous data for a more complete picture, and providing skilled data scientists and data technologies are all core competencies that firms can and do provide to digital epidemiologists, improving their efficacy and positively impacting health outcomes.