Periodic table of data elements: enabling precise data expression and combinatorial reactions

Gold mines, copper mines, coal mines... various minerals on Earth can all be precisely named. Data, which has been defined as the fifth major production factor following land, labor, capital, and technology, is often compared to new types of 'minerals.' However, no institution can simply state what type of 'data minerals' they possess. On October 25th, the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Design and Urban Sciences (LOUD)released its latest research findings, titled 'From the 'Periodic Table of Data Elements' to 'Data Reactions'—Theoretical Innovation Aids Exploration in the Assetization of Data as a Factor of Production.'

Yanjun Liu, Deputy Director of LOUD, released the report. Photo by Weng Qiyu, People's Daily Online.

As the global digital economy accelerates, how to fully unleash the immense potential of data as a factor of production has become an urgent issue that needs to be addressed. At the '2023 Digital Economy Summit' held in Shanghai in September 2023, the heads of People's Daily Online and the National Key Laboratory of Content Cognition for Communication publicly announced for the first time that the People's Data Research Institute (a digital economy think tank platform under People's Data) will collaborate with multiple parties to develop a fundamental theoretical framework, inspired by the periodic table of chemical elements in the physical world, that transcends industry or regional limitations, enabling precise expression of data and deducing the 'chemical reactions' between different data. Subsequently, LOUD, as an internationally leading team, joined this joint research initiative.

Yanjun Liu, Executive Deputy Director of LOUD, stated that to truly unleash the potential of data, it is necessary to achieve a fundamental transformation from'big data applications' to 'data factor applications.'We cannot merely rely on data collection and simple analysis but must deeply explore the intrinsic value of data, converting it into a core resource that can drive economic and social development. At the same time, data needs to be upgraded from a 'resource' to an 'asset,'shifting from internal closed use to shared and collaborative use, allowing data to flow and generate greater social and economic benefits.

Currently, issues such as varying data quality, common data islands, and unclear application scenarios hinder the release of data's potential. Yanjun Liu believes that the periodic table of data elements proposed by People's Daily Online opens up a new path for systematic data analysis and application.

The periodic table of data elements, as the name suggests, breaks down data elements into more fundamental, easier-to-understand, and easier-to-operate components according to certain rules. Based on the concept of the periodic table of data elements, People's Data actively explored the "data element identification system," labeling data characteristics such as geography, industry, volume, time, quality, and update frequency, clearly defining data resource characteristics through data or letters, forming a unique and quickly identifiable 'identity code' for data. Based on these rules, People's Data developed the first domestic data factor coding system, allowing data to circulate with a code. This is the first-phase outcome of the periodic table of data elements research.

Based on clear identification of data elements, further 'data reaction' analysis can be conducted. Yanjun Liu explained that these elements, like atoms in the periodic table of chemical elements, can generate various complex data structures and application scenarios through different combinations and reactions. Through clear identification of data elements and "data reaction" analysis, we can process and compute originally scattered and unordered data resources according to specific processing patterns, ultimately generating data factor scenarios with practical application value.

In August of this year, People's Data and LOUD jointly released the 'Shanghai Data Element Periodic Table - Data 'Reaction' Analysis Report.' This report takes population data and commercial network data of a certain city as examples, demonstrating how integrating these two types of data can optimize commercial layouts, enhance residents' consumption convenience, and thus promote balanced regional economic growth.

Predicting consumption trends through data analysis and intelligently planning the layout of commercial networks not only increases employment opportunities but also significantly improves the efficiency of commercial activities. The data outputs of the report include a forecast map of population consumption potential in various regions over the next three years, a proposal for optimizing the layout of commercial networks, and an assessment report on new employment opportunities and economic benefits, providing a basis for scientific decision-making for governments and enterprises.

The valorization exploration of data as a factor of production. Photo by Guo Jialiang, People's Daily Online.

The value of data lies not only in its quantity but also in the application scenarios it can generate and the practicality and implementation of these scenarios. To assess the effectiveness of data reactions in different scenarios,LOUD, in collaboration with relevant units, utilized multi-modal artificial intelligence large model technology to create a data probe model, the 'Ailoud Data Compass.'This is the first practical tool software for'data reactions'developed based on the periodic table of data elements.

’To put it simply, if we compare chemical reactions in the material world to the process of oxygen and hydrogen generating water under heating conditions, then in digital space, oxygen and hydrogen are our data elements, and the heating condition is the 'data reaction,Yanjun Liu said. 'Data reactions'can assist in generating various required data factor scenarios, while the 'Ailoud Data Compass'is like a precision instrument in a laboratory, helping us accurately assess the economic benefits, innovation, and practicality of these scenarios.

'With the continuous emergence of innovative tools such as the periodic table of data elements and the data compass, data is no longer just cold numbers and symbols but a powerful driving force for economic and social development,'Yanjun Liu said. Data has a multiplier effect, creating economies of scale and scope, and enhancing allocation and incentive efficiency. Fully leveraging the role of data as a factor is an inevitable requirement for strengthening, optimizing, and expanding the digital economy and empowering the real economy.

These important achievements were released at the parallel forum on 'Data-Driven Innovation in Intelligent Media Industry'of the 2024 Media Convergence Development Forum, hosted by People's Daily and organized by People's Daily Online and People's Daily Digital Communication Co., Ltd., where participants conducted in-depth discussions.