What 'data as an asset' means - and what it does not mean
Data can be a record of a machine temperature, a soil test, a mapping observation, a research measurement, an equipment failure or a mathematical result. On its own, a copied file may be easy to reproduce and have little commercial value. The economically important questions are whether the information is lawful to use, accurate, difficult or expensive to reproduce, relevant to an important problem, timely, and capable of improving someone's work.
Not every item that contains data is something its holder can sell. Information can be covered by privacy rights, contractual restrictions, Indigenous data sovereignty, public-sector duties, confidentiality obligations and intellectual-property law. BTG's use of the word public refers to making eligible asset descriptions, rights, evidence and permitted market information discoverable. It does not mean publishing raw personal files, hospital records, private locations or confidential research.
The architecture also distinguishes three economic transactions. A business may pay to use a dataset or run an algorithm. A person or organization may receive contractual proceeds because it contributed something under a valid agreement. An investor may buy a lawfully issued financial security in a company or other qualifying structure associated with an asset. Buying access to an algorithm is not the same as buying shares, and receiving a royalty is not automatically becoming an investor.