Market data feeds are often referred to as firehoses, spewing out torrents of data. But while data enriches financial firms’ trading operations in the same way water brings life to the earth, it’s not a river; it doesn’t flow naturally from source to soil, but is rather a complex, manufactured irrigation system that must be carefully managed to ensure it reaches the places where it’s needed. To do that, firms employ market data platforms to make sure the right data reaches the right consumers