Data Is Not a Platform

Ken Oestreich on GigaOM writes about data as a platform. From the piece:

And, if the data is becoming so valuable, then analyzing and mining it ought to provide incremental revenue streams beyond the traditional product-based business model. But consider going one step further: If treated right, access to enough quality data would be valuable to others outside of your enterprise too—assuming the correct federation and business models were constructed.

All true, but I disagree with the notion that data is–or can be–a platform. True developers build on top of platforms. Without tools and platforms, data is just, well, data.