The data landscape has changed almost beyond recognition over the last 30 years. Established methods of collecting, compiling and publishing infor - mation have either been made redundant or radically transformed. We have looked at the drivers of these changes in the previous chapter, with the internet and, more recently, AI reconfiguring data value chains and business models in the process. This chapter explores the current state of the information landscape and considers how much data is being created in the mid-2020s, where it is coming from and how it is being used.

How much data is there?

Precisely mapping and measuring the global information economy is impossible as countries measure things differently and many of the inputs and outputs are hidden behind firewalls and corporate networks. However, approximations can be made based on publicly reported data, government statistics and technology sales. Broadly, we can attempt to measure the monetary value of data and information products produced each year as well as the quantity of data produced, distributed and stored. For the purposes of this book, the utility of considering such figures is to help us better understand broader trends in the production, distribution and use of data and what this might mean for the future of information professionals from a range of disciplines. Understanding the shifting sands of our data-driven environment can help us make better decisions about where to invest our time and resources going forward.

One of the first comprehensive and rigorous attempts to measure the volume of information being generated each year was carried out by economists Peter Lyman and Hal Varian at Berkeley University in 2000 (Lyman and Varian, 2000).