Using the force of secondary data: what the traces we leave behind tell about ourselves in the marketplace & beyond. With every interaction with digital interfaces of all kinds (smartphone, smart home, PC, etc.) we leave behind traces of data. At the same time, the „sensorification“ of the world makes everything around us more measurable than ever before – weather, soil, traffic, air quality, building structure and so on. HASE & IGEL is a startup built around exploring, integrating and using all of these novel data sources to tackle challenges in the marketplace and society: detecting trends, predicting outcomes of measures, forecasting demand, building early-warning-indicators against crises and assessing the effect of a given product, campaign or initiative. Jan Schoenmakers, founder and managing partner, tells the story of how such a company came into being (and became successful) rather far off the beaten path and provides insights on how HASE & IGEL approaches and solves the challenges posed by questions like „is there an actual market for removing microplastic from the oceans“, „will climate change make services to renovate dank basements obsolete“ or „which lockdown measures actually had a positive effect?’’.

In 2007, Dr. Maria D’Orsogna learned of proposed oil activities in her home region of Abruzzo, Italy. Century-old wineries were to be uprooted to build clusters of oil wells, refineries, and pipelines, turning scenic Abruzzo into an oil district. Although based in California - 6,000 miles away - Dr. D’Orsogna took it upon herself to raise awareness and educate the public at large. She blended her scientific training, her experience as a professor, and her strong desire for social justice into an environmental movement that rapidly spread from Abruzzo across the country. Over the years, she traveled from town to town in Italy, educating citizens about environmental and health effects tied to hydrocarbon extraction, debating Big Oil, exposing political corruption, engaging the Catholic Church, putting pressure on decision-makers to act for the common good. While in California she used social networks and blogging to expose wrongdoings of the oil and gas industry, coordinate letter writings, keep raising awareness and spur action. Thanks to public uproar, spearheaded by Maria’s unwavering efforts, Abruzzo banned oil drilling and for the first time ever, the Italian parliament imposed a no-drill zone of 12 miles encompassing all of Italy’s 5,000-mile coastline. Overall, she helped stop at least 50 oil leases and the construction of several refineries; she also helped save roughly 60,000 square miles of sea from drilling activities, earning the nickname “Erin Brockovich of Italy”. Maria’s story is a testament of how, by engaging with the community, scientists and educators can truly make a difference.