Data-Driven Science (DDS) at Iowa State University is an approach that uses data to enable scholarly research discovery and decision-making. Over the last decade, Iowa State has invested in DDS or Big Data in all its college and centers, and DDS has aligned well with institutional strategic planning. Investments in this area have included, but are not limited to, DDS inclusion in Presidential Hires, the Presidential Interdisciplinary Research Initiatives in DDS, and a strong partnership with the Midwest Big Data Hub, part of the National Science Foundation-funded Regional Big Data Hubs Program.

Components that DDS initiatives support include cross-campus research, core data science, and education and outreach. All colleges and departments are able to connect to the DDS program, and can engage and form interdisciplinary teams to tackle big societal grand challenges. Furthering the understanding and methodologies for processing and analyzing data, and understanding the societal impacts (such as privacy and security, policy, ethics), are key constructs of the DDS program. Education and outreach, including collaborating with companies, NGOs and government agencies to support research and data-enabled decision-making, is at the heart of DDS.