Warm Data is information about the interrelationships that connect elements of a complex system. Put another way, Warm Data is transcontextual information. Warm Data captures the qualitative dynamics and offers another dimension of understanding to what is learned through quantitative data, (cold data). The implications for the uses of Warm Data are staggering, and may offer a whole new dimension to the tools of information science we have to work with at present.

Warm Data Labs are group processes which facilitate the exploration and generation of Warm Data. The Warm Data Lab processes highlights interdependency and generate understanding of systemic patterns for people with no previous exposure to systems theory. As a tool for revealing relationships that are integral and woven into the complex fabric of the issues we are working on, the Warm Data Lab process allows participants to see new patterns, new causations, and to respond to them with a much broader comprehension. In this way, the Warm Data Lab enables new societal responses to complex challenges.

How does a Warm Data Lab work?

What happens in the Warm Data Lab: Groups of people (from 12-500) explore “wicked problems” or “complexity" in a setting that reveals the many contexts that intertwine the issues they face. This fresh process is a relief because it allows participants to recognize and respond to the genuine complexity, rather than demanding superficial solutions. The process usually takes place in person, in a room with tables and chairs. The People Need People Online project adapts this process to exist in an online space, in a time when we need to be apart (quarantined), and yet need to be together (interdependent) more than ever.

The People Need People project comprises a set of twelve Warm Data Labs within the community. People from across the community – regardless of age, race, religion or socioeconomic status – are invited to join regular gatherings to share food, connection, and to participate in Warm Data Labs hosted by International Bateson Institute-certified hosts.

In the Labs, participants join in an exploration of wicked problems (or “complexity”) within a structured process that reveals the many contexts that intertwine within the issues faced by the community. The free-flowing conversational process is often a relief for participants because it doesn’t require them to bring expertise. Rather, participants conduct their exploration by drawing on and sharing personal stories, subjective experiences and anecdotal observations. In doing so they gain a more genuine understanding of complexity and identify more context-specific responses relevant to their community rather than generic or superficial solutions.

The Warm Data Labs are typically held bi-weekly, or as appropriate to the needs of the community, and in local spaces suitable for public gatherings of groups between 12 and 500 people. Throughout the People Need People series, the community will have the opportunity to explore a range of topics together, including well-being, success, health, education, identity, family, food, sexual consent, risk, community, democracy, nationhood and more.

As of April 2020, the project has been adapted to suit the new conditions brought about as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. The People Need People Online project now offers a way to bring a Warm Data Lab-based space to those in isolation during the crisis, offering ways to connect with integrity in the digital space.