The momentum of the data revolution moves into the second quarter of 2017 with no signs of slowing down. The data for development community has seen the publication of the first African Data Revolution Report, a High-Level Data for Africa Meeting in Kenya, and open data updates to NSDS guidelines. We provide summaries of reports, blogs, and articles on the topic of the data revolution below. If there is something else to add, please contact us.
APRIL
Five questions our data portal can help answer (4/4)
BBC Media Action’s new Data Portal brings together data, reports, and visualizations from surveys conducted in 13 developing countries where there is a dearth of statistics on what ordinary people think, feel, and want in developing countries. The portal covers a range of issues from what they’re most worried about to how interested they are in politics. (source)
Latin America and Caribbean statistics officials review SDG indicators (4/16)
The SDG Knowledge Hub reports on the meeting among national statistical offices in Latin America and the Caribbean to review the global indicators for the SDGs and assess progress on data generation and compatibility. (source)
The 2017 Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals: a new visual guide to data and development (4/17)
On The Data Blog, the World Bank Team shares a new post on the release of the 2017 Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals. With over 150 maps and data visualizations, the new publication charts the progress societies are making towards the 17 SDGs. (source)
When it comes to data, the messenger is key (4/29)
Gina Lagomarsino and Nathaniel Heller of Results for Development co-author a post on Huffington Post highlighting new insights from their new research that the efficacy of data Sherpas may be just as important, if not more, than the quality of the actual data in moving from insights to action to development impact. (source)
Caribbean Gateway to Open Data (April)
The Caribbean Open Institute publishes a short video blogpost on the importance of open data to governance and decision-making in Caribbean Protected Areas. (source)
Census watchers warn of a crisis if funding for 2020 count is not increased (4/18)
Tara Bahrampour writes an article on the Washington Post on the upcoming 2020 Census in the United States. According to the article, experts say the White House’s proposed budget for 2018 falls far below what is needed for the Census. (source)
Ghana paves the way to a data revolution for sustainable development (4/18)
The Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data reports on the National Data Roadmap Forum which took place in Accra, Ghana from April 5-6th. The aim was to determine how to move forward regarding the production of and access to relevant, user-friendly data, as well as to enable the achievement and monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). (source)
Updates to NSDS Guidelines: Open Data (April)
With contributions from Open Data Watch and the World Bank, PARIS21 publishes updates to their National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) Guidelines. This part of the NSDS Guidelines is concerned with the issues that mangers of national statistical systems should consider to make statistical agencies more open and transparent. (source)
Improving data interoperability for the SDGs (4/20)
Following an initial meeting convened last January at the margins of the first UN World Data Forum (UNWDF) in Cape Town, specialists from National Statistical Offices (NSOs), international organizations, private sector, and civil society, representing diverse perspectives, met again on 5 March 2017 in New York to discuss how to promote the use (and re-use) of available SDG-related data sets. The UN World Data Forum blog shares the summary of the outcomes from each break-out group. (source)
From Data Curious to Data Ready in Humanitarian Sector (4/18)
In this one-hour conversation, guests from Reboot, Fabriders, the World Wide Web Foundation join the International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent (IFRC) to discuss these topics providing insights into the data journey for various communities. (source)
Avoiding Data Graveyards: Insights from Data Producers and Users in Three Countries (April)
AidData publishes a new report that answers three questions: who produces development data and statistics, for what purpose and for whom? What are the technical and political constraints for decision-makers to use development data in their work? And what can funders and producers do differently to encourage use of data and evidence in decision-making? (source)
Documentary: Every data point has a human story (4/24)
Citizens4Earth follows Talip Kilic from the World Bank’s Living Standards Measurement Study program as he travels to southwestern Uganda, along with the survey teams for the Uganda National Panel Survey (UNPS). In the episode, James Muwonge (Director of Socioeconomic Surveys at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics) explains why household surveys like the UNPS are so important for investment decisions and policy-making, particularly in developing countries like Uganda. (source)
Trust deficit could hinder efforts to use data for good (4/24)
Executive Director Hetan Shah explains why the Royal Statistical Society is pushing for a Council for Data Ethics, which could develop new frameworks for data governance and rebalance the current ‘data trust deficit’. (source)
In order to fully realise the value of open data, researchers must first address the quality of the datasets (4/26)
On the London School of Economics and Political Science Impact Blog, Marta Indulska and Shazia Sadiq argue that in order to facilitate more effective and efficient realization of value from open data, research must reach a shared consensus on the definition of data quality dimensions. (source)
The Africa Data Revolution Report 2016 (4/25)
This first edition of the biennial Africa Data Revolution Report, a joint initiative by UNECA, UNDP, OD4D, and Web Foundation, aims to address issues on the process of transforming data ecosystems, from the status quo to an aspirational state where data from both conventional and new sources are being harnessed to better inform decision-making and enable sustainable development. (source)
MAY
Introducing the 4th Global Open Data Index: Advancing the State of Open Data Through Dialogue (5/1)
Open Knowledge International publishes the 4th edition of the Global Open Data Index (GODI), a global assessment of open government data publication. GODI compares national government in 94 places across the 15 key datasets that have been assessed by our community as the most useful for solving social challenges. (source)
Open Data Across the EU (5/2)
Adi Gaskell authors an article on the Huffington Post about a recent study from the European Data Portal that examines the level of ‘open data maturity’ across the EU and Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. (source)
Finding the balance: Right to privacy and the drive to innovate in the UN (5/3)
The UN Global Pulse looks at the balance between the right to privacy and the importance of publishing public data. While it is known that data sources need to be used for public benefits, Global Pulse reminds us that this should consider human rights as well. (source)
Data is giving rise to a new economy: How is it shaping up? (5/6)
The Economist compares the effects both data and oil have in driving the economy. Digital data, for example, has assisted the creation of infrastructure, businesses, and politics. This is similar to oil; both are refined, valued and sold, with many regulations over who can use it and how. (source)
Recommendations for open data portals: from setup to sustainability (May)
The European Data Portal publishes a report that explores the Sustainability of Open Data Portals across Europe. The report offers several recommendations for ensuring data portals are not only used for impact but sustained for longevity. (source)
Result – Open Data Leaders Network Digest (5/16)
The Open Data Institute publishes a report that highlights a collection of fresh ideas implemented by public policy researches, entrepreneurs, and open data innovators to demonstrate their capability to drive change using data. (source)
Access to new data sources for statistics: Business models and incentives for the corporate sector (5/5)
Thilo Klein and Stefaan Verhulst remind us that while many assume that “Big Data” is readily available, that is not always the case. This report analyzes the legal requirements and business incentives behind agreements on private data access with examples of practical cases. (source)
Why the future of data science is data psychology (May)
Kat Campise, a journalist and data scientist, writes an article on RTInsights showing the gap between the decision-making process and data-use. With a focus on data psychology, she analyzes how decision-making largely depends on the internal psychology of a human. (source)
Data Jam 2017: Competition shows how data science can revolutionize rural development in Colombia (5/19)
This interview between Finance Columbia and Elizabeth Mendenhall from USAID explains the outcome of the 2017 Data Jam. The aim of the conference was to promote the use of open data in Columbia and to increase and encourage more data-use. USAID was also able to work with more rural communities to gain insight on how they should re-assess their program design in more rural regions of Columbia. (source)
Improving Statistical Accuracy in Mongolia (5/11)
Using the MONSTAT data program as an example, the World Bank demonstrates the potency of data through a video blog post. The National Statistical Office of Mongolia understood the need for reliable statistics to impact decision making and made data collection faster and more reliable. As a result, Mongolians are able to record their livestock so that they can take out loans at the bank without having to wait for months. (source)
Open Data Barometer: Global Report 4th edition (5/23)
World Wide Web Foundation releases the 4th edition of the Open Data Barometer – a global ranking of open data in 115 countries. The report shows that while some governments are advancing towards aims of open data progress, this remains the exception and not the rule. (source)
Scorecard diplomacy: How grades drive behavior in international relations (5/22)
In May, Judith Kelley from Duke University, discovered that using data to rate countries does more than help us understand them, it changed their behavior. By using human trafficking data as an example, she argues that countries don’t want bad rankings and therefore will push for better human trafficking laws to improve poor public rankings. (source)
A ring to bind them all? Co-ordination in development needs to be more pragmatic (5/24)
Writing for Huffington Post, Johannes Jütting, the manager of PARIS21, answers the question: can SDG’s be used to bind development actors together? He reminds us that there needs to be collaboration with new and old partnerships to form a balance of cooperation if we want to achieve the SDGs. (source)
Making a case for disaggregated data: A look at Ethiopia (5/24)
By disaggregating data three different ways, Cat Langdon from Development Initiatives shows three different stories of Ethiopia. Through her visualizations, she makes a strong case for greater investment in the production and use of disaggregated data. (source)
Between 2 Geeks: Episode 7 – The Future of Data? (Cape Town Edition) (5/17)
Marking the end of the first session of the World Bank’s podcast “Between 2 Geeks”, this episode shares the main highlights from the first World Data Forum held in Cape Town, South Africa earlier this year. (source)
A world-changing combination: Dr. Claire Melamed on big data, collaboration, and the SDGs (5/24)
Cambria Hayashino of Telefónica interviews Dr. Claire Melamed on her work with big data and the SDGS for a Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data blog post. (source)
JUNE
Malaysia sets open data targets (6/6)
Writing for the Global Government Forum, Liz Heron reports on the recent open data developments in Malaysia. The Malaysian government has agreed to step up public access to official data after taking part in a World Bank’s Open Data Readiness Assessment. (source)
Open data is about people, not just innovation (6/8)
Ana Brandusescu writes an article for SciDevNet highlighting four main areas where governments need to invest in order to tackle inequalities using open data. (source)
Rwanda National data revolution policy (June)
Posted by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda, the National Data Revolution Policy outlines the core vision, objectives, and pillars of data revolution policy in Rwanda. (source)
Training policymakers in the use of data & evidence (6/13)
The team at Harvard Kennedy School’s Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD) has developed a model for instilling an appreciation of evidence and skills for its use among policy decision-makers. The model consists of capacity-building courses that EPoD can deploy in different countries and contexts, and match to different levels of experience. (source)
How to measure global statistical literacy? (June)
Thilo Klein of PARIS21 authors an article in the OECD Statistics Newsletter that discusses their recent work in measuring and statistical literacy using newspaper coverage of statistics as a proxy. (source)
People are at the heart of the data revolution (6/25)
Clare E. Rowland, an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at Millennium Challenge Corporation, contributes a post to the #DataMatters series on the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data blog. She recounts her experience working at the Tanzania Data Lab and the lessons that emerged. (source)
Data for development: The case for information, not just data (6/26)
Daniela Ligeiero, CEO and executive director of the Together for Girls partnership, writes a guest blog for the Women and Foreign Policy Program urging the data for development community to make better use of data we already have, transforming it into useful information to guide action. (source)
Everything is in place to track global progress on education: Except the data (6/29)
Silvia Montoya, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and Dankert Vedeler, Co-Chair of the SDG Education 2030 Steering Committee, co-author a blog post on UNESCO highlighting the data gaps surrounding progress on education (SDG 4). (source)
8 ways African countries are using data to change lives (6/30)
Jennifer Oldfield of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data shares 8 real-life examples of why data matters and how it is being used across Africa to change lives on the ONE blog. (source)