data broker:

... an information broker — Information brokers provide, for a fee, information retrieval from publicly accessible data sources, most often online databases (source).

Three types of information brokers directly related to enterprise development, including site selection, and economic development are used as examples. The first types operates out of an association which uses dues paid by its members to maintain a basic information service. The organizaton supplements the service by also selling information to non-members. The purpose for brokering information to outsiders is often an effort to raise money for the association or its management contractor. The example is the data brokerage operated at one time by the National Association of Manufacturers in the US as the Site Selection Network (NAM/SSN) It was referred to as the Site Selection Network. <= define "site seleciton network and include NAM/SSN => http://www.ontheshortlist.com/media_search.htm

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The NAM/SSN real estate and economic development data brokerage was basically a arrangement of publishing available properties and location data online with restriced access and selling a key to anyone wanting to get to it. Regular NAM members ostensibly has free access. Outsiders paid a fee that was equal to or greater than the membership to obtain their keys. A membership was created for NAM?SSN made up commercial and industrial real estate and location markerters. In other words, real estae and ecoomic development interests paid a membership fee to have the information brokered by NAM. It seems likely that the SSN scheme was not only in competition with real estate and site selection consultants but flawed as a biased source. NAN/SSN had a vested interest in pitching information from a dues-paying membership.

The site selection data brokerage pointed out in the above paragraph was first introduced as Plant Site Locators. createdinformation brokerAt one time the NAM, National Association of Manufacturers in the US, operated a site selection data brokerage. Its Site Selection Network (SSN) was originally Eeconomic development organizations paid to make their location profiles and information about available buildings and sites for NAM members. Nonmember companies with plans to relocate or expand paid what was essentially the equivilant of a membership fee in the association to enter the NAM/SSN for information. NAM shed its SSN operations after a few years. An SSN/Site Selection Network operation continues to exist as a service to a number of associations and places seeking economic development.

Another example sold memberships to century, NAM Site Selection Network was created from Plant Site Locators. PSL was introduced online in the 1990s. NAM members and dues paying associates used www.namssn.org for exchanging information about places of interest and real estate offers. Non-members of NAM were offered pricey location data and site selection services for a fee approaching what consultants charged. Location data suppliers were left out of the loop if they didn't pay. SSN and PSL before that clearly provided biased site location assistance , while operating as a data broker.

Note: The URL in the above paragraph for the National Association of Manufacturers' Site Selection Network (NAMSSN) was at one time a link to information for the association's members to find out about services and what they cost. At last check in April 2009, the web address was for sale with no indication as to whether the site selection services NAM once offered its members and associates were still available. There is a definition of site selection network in the Enterprise and Economic Development Glossary of The Network which continues to maintain its services through the Site Selection Directory.

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FYI: what is an online information service; definition of open access; definition of share network; what is a share network; what is an open access share network