Measurement & Indices.
Constructs, instruments, and indices designed from first principles — turning contested questions into measurable ones, with the methodology published in full.
An index is an argument with a method.
When a question matters enough, opinion is not sufficient — it needs an instrument. A well-built index compresses a complex domain into a signal a leader can track, compare, and act on over time, with every assumption available for inspection.
Disnesta designs measurement from construct definition through subsystem structure, aggregation logic, and data pipeline. The firm's published instruments — the Optional Work Index, OWI-C, and the National AI Compute Index — are worked examples of the craft, built to the same standard we bring to client constructs.
The capability is not limited to our own topics: we build sector measurement for foundations, internal indices for enterprises, and policy instruments for public institutions.
Four areas of work.
Construct design
Defining what is actually being measured — the subsystems, the boundaries, and the aggregation logic — before any data is touched.
Methodology & validation
Formal specification, sensitivity testing, and documentation to a standard that survives peer scrutiny.
Data & production
The pipelines that keep the instrument live, so the measure updates as the world changes.
Reporting & publication
Recurring reporting on the instrument, written for the audiences that act on it.
Ways to work with the firm.
Construct engagement
Design and formalization of a measurement construct for your domain, documented in full.
Index build
Disnesta Labs takes the construct to a live instrument: pipeline, scoring, and reporting.
Briefings & deep-dives
Commissioned readings of the firm's own indices for your country, sector, or firm.