• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, January 24, 2016

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) launched an independently funded IAB unit at the 2016 IAB Annual Leadership Meeting Sunday to expand resources and drive support for data across the digital media, marketing, and advertising industry.

The IAB Data Center of Excellence, based in the IAB's New York office, aims to help tech advertisers and marketers that are hot to use their data, but also to maintain quality, transparency, and accountability, as well as protect consumers' interests. MediaMath CEO Joe Zawadzki steps in as chairman of the center's board of directors.

The center will fund industry research projects, provide benchmarks, create actionable insights on data management across platforms, host data-focused events, and develop industry best practices, guidelines, and standards for privacy, data security, and consumer data protection. It will produce educational materials including certification, videos, and webinars.

Zawadzki believes that given the pace at which companies realize the power and value that data can create for brands, publishers, and consumers, it was time the industry come together.

Acxiom, Conversant Media, Experian, Integral Ad Science, LiveIntent, Oracle Data Cloud, and The Weather Company have stepped up as founding members and plan to assign representatives from their respective companies to become part of the organization’s board of directors.