I think that within 5 years we'll see a set of collaborative database tools, standards and procedures evolve sparked by the interest and ability of cross matching and analysing vast amounts of information. The imperative to good public and private decision making will within this time become more and more obvious.

Over the last 20 years the evolution of database structures and platforms themselves provide evidence of this direction. From the single layer DB on a proprietary platform accessed by specialist client workstations to the situation we have today with relational data bases built on open source software delivered over standard networks to unlimited clients, or the so called LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySql & Php) install.

A guiding light and perhaps the holder of a successful organisational DNA is the W3C(World Wide Web Consortium). Their workings on how to organise and agree on 'standards of collaboration' is arguably one of the most significant collaborative projects of late last century.

Of course like any impending evolution a certain gravitas must be created and more importantly be supported broadly by the relative community of interest. (The question of whether such a nucleus can be created is an interesting point.)

Interesting I think that the W3C flagship project around XML (eXtensible Markup Language) gives communities of interest in certain fields the technical tools to do the job.
Unlike other DB languages XML is a flexible construct that allows groups (or individuals) the ability to define data types themselves. Data can then can be drawn from existing databases, transported via XML and then used by other programs, be that simply a web browser or a cloud of computers crunching billions of numbers. Indeed there is a growing trend to create entire XML native databases.
Today such knowledge is largely locked away and gestating within certain communities of the IT industry.

Once broader communities of interest understand the potential of this XML / W3C approach to their research and/or decision making I'm sure this trend will grow very rapidly.