data_labe

What data_labe does

data_labe (legal name: Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Data Labe, CNPJ 31.370.501/0001-93) is a Brazilian non-profit association founded in 2016 and headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. The organization emerges from favelas and peripheral communities with the stated mission of democratizing data culture and digital rights. Its primary activities are participatory data production, data journalism, and technology education targeted at low-income residents of Brazilian favelas (urban informal settlements) and peripheral neighborhoods who are typically underrepresented in official data systems and public policy decisions. Secondary stakeholders include civil society organizations and social movements that adopt data_labe's methodologies for advocacy and policy monitoring.

The organization's core technology platform is the Gera\u00e7\u00e3o Cidad\u00e3 de Dados (GCD) methodology — a framework for participatory data production that combines social cartography, georeferencing, and community-driven data collection. Built atop this methodology is a suite of products including Coc\u00f4zap (a WhatsApp-based sanitation complaint channel active in all 16 favelas of the Complexo da Mar\u00e9), the Mapa da Comunica\u00e7\u00e3o Comunit\u00e1ria, the Mapa de Brech\u00f3s Perif\u00e9ricos, the Queixas Coc\u00f4zap dashboard, the Guia Cultural de Favelas, and QuilomBOX (a human-rights mapping tool built with Amnesty International Brasil). The organization also publishes a podcast (data_l\u00e1bia) and a data journalism blog (Correria), and maintains an open-source presence on GitHub. None of these tools are described as AI-driven or ML-powered.

data_labe's revenue model is consistent with a small Brazilian non-profit. Funding sources include recurring individual donations via PayPal (four tiers: R$25, R$50, R$75, and R$100 per month), one-time PIX donations at CNPJ key 31.370.501/0001-93, and institutional grants including a federal public funding agreement under Termo de Fomento n\u00ba 971655/2024 with the Ministry of Science and Technology (project 'Dados e Democracia'). Additional support comes from international funders such as the Mozilla Foundation and the Climate and Land Use Alliance. Distribution is primarily digital (website, social media, podcast platforms) and through community partnerships; all content is published under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0 license. The organization does not sell products or services and has no paying customer base.

Name

data_labe

Legal name

Associação Data Labe

Website

https://datalabe.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

data_labe is a Brazilian non-profit founded in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro that develops participatory data methodologies, WhatsApp-based complaint channels, and community mapping platforms to empower favela and peripheral residents to produce data, monitor public services, and advocate for digital rights.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Technology and Participatory Data Production

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Data Management Platforms (EHS/EMS, LIMS, ELN, Compliance Data Hubs) (EUAHAKAA), Environmental Monitoring, Data & Reporting (Air/Water/Soil) (BPAIAMAC)

Keywords

• Participatory data production
• Community mapping platforms
• Data journalism services
• Digital rights education
• Civic data methodology

Headquarters

HQ city

Rio de Janeiro

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a non-profit association, data_labe is funded primarily through donations. Monthly recurring contributions are accepted via PayPal (R$25, R$50, R$75, or R$100 per month). One-time PIX donations are also accepted at PIX key 31.370.501/0001-93. All incoming resources are invested directly in organizational sustainability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

data_labe is a Brazilian non-profit association that empowers favela and peripheral communities to produce, analyze, and act on their own data through a participatory methodology called Geração Cidadã de Dados (GCD). It operationalizes this through digital tools such as the WhatsApp-based Cocôzap sanitation complaint system, public complaint dashboards, georeferenced community maps, cultural guides, and data journalism content. Its offerings combine research, training, and communication strategies to influence public policy on sanitation, climate justice, and digital rights in marginalized urban territories.

Product overview

data_labe is a nonprofit organization that emerges from favelas and peripheries with the purpose of demystifying data culture and digital rights. The organization operates as a suite of collaborative tools and methodologies centered on citizen data generation, including Cocôzap (a WhatsApp-based sanitation complaint system), various community mapping platforms (Mapa da Comunicação Comunitária, Mapa de Brechós Periféricos, Guia Cultural de Favelas), and the Geração Cidadã de Dados methodology. These products work together to enable participatory data production, territorial diagnostics, and advocacy for communities in Rio de Janeiro.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cocôzap A citizen participation project that uses WhatsApp as a channel for residents of the Complexo de Favelas da Maré to report, debate, and propose solutions around basic sanitation, water supply, and waste collection. Aims to drive monitoring and advocacy for public sanitation services in favelas.
• Mapa da Comunicação Comunitária A georeferencing platform that catalogs community communication vehicles across Brazil, identifying non-profit, publicly-oriented media outlets that are collectively owned by communities and foster active population participation.
• Mapa de Brechós Periféricos A collaborative mapping tool that documents and promotes secondhand clothing stores (brechós) in peripheral neighborhoods, allowing residents to submit and discover thrift shops in their communities.
• Queixas Cocôzap A public dashboard displaying sanitation complaints data from the Maré favela complex, allowing residents to report and track issues related to water supply, sanitation, and garbage collection.
• Guia Cultural de Favelas A collaborative cultural guide and map of cultural practices in Rio de Janeiro favelas, developed in partnership with Observatório de Favelas to document cultural activities in favela territories.
• QuilomBOX A collaborative mapping and mobilization instrument for human rights education, built by young Black people in partnership with Amnesty International Brasil.
• Geração Cidadã de Dados (GCD) methodology An innovative participatory methodology that enables communities to mobilize their knowledge, define priorities, and produce territorial diagnostics through social cartography, georeferencing, and community-driven data collection. Supports climate governance and citizen data production and is designed to be replicated by other communities and organizations.
• data_labe Podcast (data_lábia) A podcast series discussing data, technology, and communication topics relevant to favelas and peripheries, distributed on Spotify and Medium under the data_lábia brand.

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Casa FluminensecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-partner in the Cocôzap sanitation monitoring project and co-founder of the Rede GCD (Geração Cidadã de Dados network). Works jointly on advocacy and monitoring of public policies affecting Rio de Janeiro's peripheral communities.
• Redes de Desenvolvimento da MarécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-partner in the Cocôzap project focused on basic sanitation in the Maré favela complex. The organization supports community development in the territory where data_labe is also rooted.
• Observatório de Favelas do Rio de JaneirocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner in the development of the Guia Cultural de Favelas (Cultural Guide to Favelas), a collaborative mapping project of cultural practices in Rio's favelas. Also a member of the Rede GCD.
• Escola de DadosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerData journalism and education organization. Listed as a partner on the data_labe partnerships page.
• Énois ConteúdominorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for joint coverage projects, including the COVID-19 reporting initiative with gender, race, and territory focus.
• PretaLabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization on the data_labe partnerships page, focused on Black women in technology.
• Global Innovation GatheringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network of innovation and technology organizations; listed as a partner on the data_labe partnerships page.
• OlabiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization focused on technology and social innovation; listed as a partner on the data_labe partnerships page.
• AJOR (Associação de Jornalismo Digital)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAssociation of digital journalism organizations; listed as a partner on the data_labe partnerships page.
• Instituto PerpetuarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner contributing to the climate adaptation agenda, notably at COP 30 events. Listed as a panelist co-organizer.
• Rede GCD (Geração Cidadã de Dados)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork founded in 2023 by Casa Fluminense, data_labe, Fogo Cruzado, Instituto Decodifica, Observatório de Favelas, and Dicionário Marielle Franco. Promotes methodologies for civil society to produce, analyze, and distribute public interest data.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Article 19 Brasil: International human rights organization with a strong Brazil office focused on digital rights, transparency, and freedom of expression. Comparable in digital rights mission; larger and broader in scope than data_labe.
• Amnesty International Brasil: Global human rights organization with a Brazil presence; co-developer of QuilomBOX with data_labe. Comparable in human rights and peripheral community focus, though far broader and better-resourced.

Direct peers

• Olabi: Brazilian organization promoting technology and social innovation in favelas and peripheries. Listed as a data_labe partner; comparable in tech-for-periphery mission and Rio de Janeiro footprint.
• PretaLab: Brazilian organization focused on Black women in technology. Listed as a data_labe partner; comparable as a community-rooted diversity and tech/digital rights organization.
• Dicionário Marielle Franco: Civil society initiative dedicated to monitoring political representation of Black women and favela/peripheral candidates. Co-founder of Rede GCD; comparable in participatory data methodology and Brazilian peripheral advocacy.
• Instituto Decodifica: Brazilian NGO focused on data and technology for social impact. Co-founder of Rede GCD; comparable in mission and target audience (civil society data producers).
• Fogo Cruzado: Brazilian civil society organization that collects and disseminates data on armed violence in Rio de Janeiro's favelas and peripheries. Co-founder of Rede GCD with data_labe; highly comparable in mission, methodology (community-driven data collection), and target geography.
• Escola de Dados: Brazilian data literacy and data journalism education organization. Listed as a data_labe partner; comparable in data culture, methodology training, and civil society data focus.
• Observatório de Favelas do Rio de Janeiro: Long-standing favela-focused research and advocacy organization in Rio de Janeiro. Partner on Guia Cultural de Favelas and Rede GCD; directly comparable as a favela-rooted data and rights organization.
• Casa Fluminense: Civil society organization focused on public policy and data for Rio de Janeiro's metropolitan periphery. Co-founder of Rede GCD and Cocôzap partner; highly comparable in advocacy, data, and methodology focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/datalabe
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVfWgyrjxgUtLENX06lI6Kg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/data-labe
• Instagraminstagram.com/data_labe
• TikToktiktok.com/@datalabe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about data_labe