What is Data Literacy?

Population 2021
(Millions)

HDI Score
2019 (Max. 1)

SDG Score
2020-2021
(Max. 100)

Gender Inequality
Index Score
(Max. 1)

Internet Inclusivity
Index 2022
(100 countries)

Sources: 1. World Bank (2021), 2. UNDP (2019), 3. Sustainable Development Report (2021), 4. UNDP (2019), 5. Economist Impact (2022).

Overview

“What is Data Literacy?” is the first video in our new series on Big Data and development.

In under two minutes, Cartoonist Manu takes us through a short history of what literacy is and was from the early 1800s through today. We explore the evolving definitions of data literacy – from drawing a cross to reading a newspaper to interacting with more advanced technologies – and lead up to what literacy means in the age of data in 2015 and beyond. What will it mean in 2020?

Filmed by Marina Katz.

This video coincides with our newly published paper entitled “Beyond Data Literacy: Reinventing Community Engagement and Empowerment in the Age of Data,” written in collaboration with Internews Center for Innovation and MIT Media Lab Center for for Civic Media. It also coincides with our Beyond Data Literacy Workshop, cohosted by Internews Center for Innovation. Here is a blog on the Workshop.

Watch the second video in the series on Big Data and development, “Entering the Age of Data: A Focus on Data Inclusion”.

Projects

Strengthening of Technical Capacities in Big Data for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)

This project developed with the support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), strengthened the technical capacities of government officials in Latin America and the Caribbean to take advantage of Big Data for sustainable development and official statistics. During the first phase of the project, through an exploratory study (see Publication below), we analyzed the current state of the infrastructure, institutional framework, regulatory framework, capacities and use cases of Big Data for the generation of public policies in 5 LAC countries: Bolivia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala and Peru.

The second phase focused on developing four capacity building workshops between June 2022 and March 2023.

Introduction to Big Data for Sustainable Development
Big Data and Poverty Analysis for Sustainable Development
Big Data and Health Analysis for Sustainable Development
Big Data, Security and Violence for Sustainable Development

This training itinerary provided participants with a comprehensive knowledge of the key concepts, the necessary tools and the main challenges of Big Data for sustainable development, with a special emphasis on the applicability of these data sources for statistical purposes.

Support to the Inter-American Development Bank in the Identification of Technological and Big Data Tools for Current, Ongoing, and New IDB Projects

This project aimed to support the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in preparing for the IDB Andean Summit event held on November 29, 2018, in Quito, Ecuador. A study was generated that identified new Big Data tools being developed and/or used by academic institutions, international organizations, and the public or private sector that would concretely benefit current and future IDB projects. Based on DPA’s experience, the consultancy’s goal was to contribute to the IDB’s knowledge, identification, and capabilities regarding available technological tools that provided observable material improvements at different stages of current or future projects. The study focused on IDB projects in five countries in the region: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.