Definition:
An infomediary is an organisation or service that acts as an intermediary between different information sources and the people or businesses that need to consult them. It collects, normalises, filters, compares or interprets data to turn them into a more accessible information product.
It may operate through a website, application, database or professional service. It is not necessarily neutral and does not always own the information it distributes: it selects sources, applies criteria and presents results, so its methodology shapes the final product.
How an infomediary works
The process begins by obtaining information from public sources, suppliers, users or proprietary systems. Integration and control tasks are then applied before delivering the result:
- Collection: It gathers data through agreements, forms, interfaces, documents or sources available on the Internet.
- Normalisation: It standardises formats, categories and units so that originally different records can be compared.
- Filtering: It orders, classifies or prioritises information according to declared criteria or internal rules.
- Distribution: It provides comparisons, alerts, directories, reports, visualisations or access to a database.
The value does not come from accumulating data alone, but from reducing the evaluation cost. Content curation may form part of this work when editorial selection and context are involved, although not every infomediary produces content.
Types of infomediaries
The classification depends on the audience served and the type of information transformed. Common infomediary categories include:
- Consumer-focused: They compare prices, terms, features or ratings to support a purchasing decision.
- Business-focused: They provide market intelligence, competitor monitoring, commercial profiles or industry indicators.
- Industry-specific: They organise technical, regulatory or professional information for areas such as finance, tourism, health or education.
- Public-data based: They reuse statistics, mapping, procurement, transport or other datasets published by public authorities.
A metasearch engine also queries several sources, but its primary function is to combine search results. An infomediary may add proprietary transformation, comparison criteria, verification or analysis and provide a stable product beyond a single query.
Business models
Revenue depends on the audience, access to sources and the added value provided. A service may combine several commercial models:
- Subscription or licence: It charges for access to reports, tools, alerts or datasets.
- Commission: It receives compensation when it refers a transaction to a supplier or marketplace.
- Advertising: It funds access through promotional placements, sponsorships or clearly identified featured results.
- Professional services: It sells analysis, integration, enrichment or information adaptation for an organisation.
The economic model may influence which suppliers appear, how they are ranked and which variables are shown. Information intermediation should therefore be distinguished from a promise of impartiality: a commission-funded comparison can be useful, but it should explain its criteria and commercial relationships.
Relationship with open data
Open data make published information available under conditions that facilitate access and reuse. An infomediary may combine dispersed datasets, correct formats, build time series or develop applications so that the information becomes understandable and operational.
Availability alone does not guarantee data quality. Licences, provenance, date, coverage, definitions and possible methodological changes need to be reviewed. Big Data techniques may help process large volumes, but they do not replace data governance or the assessment of each source.
Quality and limitations
An infomediary’s usefulness depends on source traceability, update frequency and transparent criteria. It must also manage usage rights, privacy, security and correction mechanisms when it processes information about people or businesses.
A search engine locates pages at scale, whereas an infomediary usually works within a narrower field and delivers information that has already been structured. The boundaries may nevertheless overlap when a service combines search, comparison and analysis.
Its results should not automatically be considered complete, accurate or neutral. The final quality depends on the selected sources, missing data, transformation rules and the operator’s incentives. Documenting these elements supports a more informed interpretation of the information product.