Data science as an interdiscipline: Historical parallels from information science

Almost all commentators agree, however, that data science must be characterized as having an interdisciplinary or metadisciplinary nature. There is interest from many stakeholders in formalizing the emerging discipline of data science by defining boundaries and core concepts for the field.

This paper presents a comparison between the data science of today and the development and evolution of information science over the past century. Data science and information science present a number of similarities: diverse participants and institutions, contested disciplinary boundaries, and diffuse core concepts. This comparison is used to discuss three questions about data science going forward: (1) What will be the focal points around which data science and its stakeholders coalesce?