During these 2 hour sessions, we leverage the best of our experience conducting the trilingual Book and Movie Club “Technology Through Feminist Lenses” to conduct an interactive workshop titled “Eureka Moment: Feminism, Culture, and AI to Reimagine Our Futures”. The ultimate goal is to foster critical and transformative dialogue about artificial intelligence (AI) and technology through an intersectional feminist perspective … Read More
Second Voluntary National Review of the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Equatorial Guinea
DPA provided comprehensive support to Equatorial Guinea in developing their Second Voluntary National Review (VNR). Over a six-week sprint, DPA undertook multiple tasks including reviewing and adding information, conducting research, and creating presentations, to support the finalization of the VNR. Key contributions by DPA included: (1) Document review and improvement through revision and suggestion of improvements for how the country … Read More
Disarming Disinformation: How Migrants Fall Victim to Disinformation
To fill the information gap brought on by complex migratory processes, poor institutional communication, and lack of trust in authorities, Latin American migrant communities transiting through Mexico on their way to the USA often resort to the use of social media and instant messaging apps. While sometimes a source of helpful information, these are also polluted with disinformation and scams, … Read More
OPAL for Humanitarian Action (OPAL4HA)
After being selected to participate in WFP Humanitarian Innovation Accelerator Programme (HIAP), DPA has developed a project aimed at improving anticipatory action and response to climate-induced disasters in Senegal using OPAL for Humanitarian Action (OPAL4HA) by: Integrating diverse data sources such as call detail records (CDRs), earth observation (EO) data, qualitative data (surveys and interviews), official statistics, and user data … Read More
Exploiting the Possibilities Offered by Big Data to Monitor the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in Morocco
This project, supported by UNDP Morocco and the Moroccan Ministry of Economy and Finance, aimed to improve official statistical methodologies by using Big Data, in order to improve the timeliness and reliability of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, this project contributed to strengthening the Moroccan digital ecosystem by improving the design, implementation, and monitoring of fair public policies, … Read More
Book and Movie Club: “Technology Through Feminist Lenses”
With the generous support of the Patrick J McGovern Foundation, Data-Pop Alliance and Eureka proudly launched the free Book and Movie Club titled “Technology Through Feminist Lenses.” The club conducted sessions in three languages: English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Throughout its three months, we utilized curated content to explore technology as a lens to discuss intersectional feminist perspectives, race, class, and … Read More
Feminist Urban Design: A Gender-Inclusive Framework for Cities
Data-Pop Alliance (DPA), in collaboration with Open Data Watch (ODW), was tasked with creating a pioneering gender data framework for urban environments, commissioned by the City Hub and Network for Gender Equity (CHANGE). This framework was intended for implementation across CHANGE’s network cities, starting with Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Nairobi, and Quezon City as the initial participants. Capitalizing on … Read More
New Poverty & Inequality Metrics: Integrated Local MPIs for More Inclusive Development Policies and Programmes
The Integrated Local Multidimensional Poverty Index (LMPI) initiative marks a groundbreaking step by UNDP to adapt the Multidimensional Poverty Index to local contexts. Through pilots in Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, the project aims to craft multidimensional, inclusive, and local metrics to guide targeted interventions. Utilizing a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods and grassroots participation, the … Read More
Book Club: “Counting Femicide by Catherine D’Ignazio”
This Book Club, featured the book “Counting Femicide: Data Feminism in Action” by Catherine D’Ignazio, which documents the creative, intellectual, and emotional labor of data activists across the Americas as they seek to fill the institutional gap in counting femicides and gender-related killings. The Book Club facilitated a safe space for discussion with the author herself during 8 live discussion … Read More
Tracking Policy Influence Using Gender-Based Violence as a Case Study: Assessing the Overton Platform
DPA, in collaboration with ILDA, conducted a case study examining the evidence available on the Overton Platform regarding the influence of research on gender-based violence in policy. Overton is touted as the world’s most comprehensive searchable index of policy documents, encompassing research, briefs, reviews, or reports aimed at influencing policy. The platform aggregates information from over a thousand sources spanning … Read More
Design and Development of the Central Database & CRM for Abogadas MX’s “Standards for Diversity and Inclusion within Law Firms in Mexico” Program
DPA, in collaboration with Abogadas MX, led the design and development of the Central Database and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software for the “Standards for Diversity and Inclusion in Law Firms in Mexico” Program. This included the creation of a survey to collect gender-focused data from law firms. This initiative enabled the organization to systematically gather and manage information from … Read More
Study of the Drivers of Sustainable and Inclusive Development (DoD) in Liberia
DPA, in collaboration with the UNDP Liberia Country Office, conducted a thorough review of major sectors such as the economic sectors, human capital, governance, public sector administration, environment, and climate change. The aim was to identify constraints, opportunities, and key recommendations for actionable steps to foster positive change. The study’s objectives were to rigorously analyze literature and open-source data to … Read More
Advanced Training on Big Data for Gender-Responsive SDG Monitoring
In partnership with UN Women Asia and the Pacific Regional Office, DPA conducted a two-day in-person advanced training for the Gender Statistics Unit at UN Women. The primary objective was to empower participants with the skills to handle non-traditional data sources and showcase their real-world utility in the context of gender-sensitive monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This comprehensive training … Read More
Increasing and Strengthening the Availability of Digital Sexual and Reproductive Health Services with Youth-Friendly Approaches in Latin America
In partnership with Fòs Feminista, DPA conducted a consultancy with the objective of updating Fòs Feminista‘ subject knowledge, with a focus on digital sexual and reproductive health services implemented by their partners in the LATAM, Africa, and Asia regions, as well as to generate an analysis of the different strategies and methodologies used to apply a youth-friendly approach in delivering … Read More
The Patrick J. McGovern Grant
The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation granted $400,000 to DPA to support key projects. For the Technology and Democracy Program, this grant funded our “Infocracy Studies,” which aimed to address the implications of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) on the democratic process. Additionally, the grant enabled us to organize a Book and Movie Club that attracted over 700 participants worldwide. This club … Read More
Climate-Induced Migration in Africa and Beyond: Big Data and Predicative Analytics (CLIMB)
Climate change (interlinked with humanitarian crises and other economic and health factors) could have led to internal resettlements, international migration, and other (new) forms of human mobility. However, the empirical link between various climatic conditions and migration outcomes was highly contested, and, to date, no unified theoretical approach had adequately captured the complexity and contextual dependency of climate-induced migration. To … Read More
Regional Consultations: Towards Real Diversity and Gender Equality in Artificial Intelligence – Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence Project
Mila’s AI for Humanity Team identified high-impact, socially beneficial projects and invested in their development and deployment. AI offered possibilities for enhancing well-being and contributing to the SDGs but also had the potential to deepen divides. AI was generally designed and evaluated without systematic gender and diversity approaches, potentially leading to negative consequences. This project aimed to provide the AI … Read More
Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Identifying Intervention Points to Tackle Disinformation in Senegal and Burkina Faso
DPA developed a comprehensive ecosystem approach to address the multifaceted nature of disinformation in two West African countries. Recognizing the need to examine disinformation beyond social media, our methodology considered the interconnected networks of online influencers, traditional media, and groups weaponizing (dis)information for socio-political purposes. We also investigated the underlying economic, political, and social motivations driving the weaponization of disinformation … Read More
GIZ Data Feminism Series
The Data Feminism Series was an event co-organized and developed by the GIZ Data Lab and Data-Pop Alliance, aiming to increase awareness about Gender Data’s potential (and gaps) in addressing structural inequalities, particularly in the “Age of Data”. In addition, the event sought to inspire decision-makers to view Gender Data as a cornerstone of successful feminist development cooperation, considering power … Read More
The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation Data Feminism Grant
The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF) awarded DPA’s Data Feminism Program a twelve-month, $300,000 grant to support our work advancing intersectional, data-driven research, training and advocacy to continue fostering gender equality across Latin America and the Caribbean, the MENA region and Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2023, the grant was renewed for $400,000 to continue supporting existing and new Data Feminism Initiatives, including … Read More
WIND-MEAL
ADE and DPA have created WIND-MEAL, a portfolio of services that build and improve Whole-of-Institution Data-enabled (WIND) Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) systems, with a focus on accountability (A) up to impact, and on learning perspectives (L) t generate meaningful, up-to-date knowledge that supports better decision-making. Based on our experience and values, ADE and DPA develop MEAL systems that … Read More
Open Algorithms (OPAL) for Public Data and Good
“Open Algorithm (OPAL) for Public Data and Good” seeked to merge different “privacy enhancing techniques” (PETs), such as federated learning, differential privacy, and negative databases, to allow trusted third parties such as researchers or official institutions to analyze censuses or national surveys’ microdata produced by national statistical offices (NSOs), as well as other administrative records, to derive indicators using these … Read More
Workshop on Survey Methodology with CETIC & NIC
Data-Pop Alliance offered training in São Paulo with the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (CETIC) and the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC) annually from 2016 through 2019. The 2019 edition included a session by DPA Director and Co-Founder Emmanuel Letouzé titled “Data for Public Statistics: Data Science, Big Data & Artificial Intelligence”, click below … Read More
Human Mobility and Population Density in the Maldives
Supported by UNFPA Maldives and the National Bureau of Statistics, this project aimed to use Big Data to illuminate demographic features with significant implications for development policies and programs. Specifically, our partners at Fundazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) developed a prototype to analyze population density and movement patterns by leveraging call detail records (CDRs) and new data analytic techniques. The prototype … Read More
Workshop “Using Machine Learning with Satellite Imagery for the Measurement of a Sustainable Development Goal Indicator”
This two-day online workshop with government officials from the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI) in Peru and other public agencies sought to strengthen institutional capacities for the improvement of the national statistical system, particularly by leveraging non-traditional sources of data in administrative reports to measure different indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) towards the achievement of the … Read More
Measuring the Unmeasured: Innovative Approaches to Measuring SDG Tier III Indicators
In partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), DPA provided support to the Europe and Central Asia Regional Hub in Istanbul for the project “Measuring the Unmeasured” to contribute to SDG measurement and achievement. The effective use of data for public policy was of critical importance to the UN in its efforts to strengthen evidence-based programming and policy development. … Read More
Professional Training Program “Big Data for Measuring the Digital Economy”
In partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), DPA offered a series of workshops focused on Big Data and the Digital Economy in the Latin American and Caribbean region. These workshops were designed for development practitioners, policymakers, and researchers. Five editions were delivered in: Santiago de Chile (March 2016), São Paulo (September 2017) … Read More
Workshop “Web Data Collection and Analysis”
In November 2019, Data-Pop Alliance, in partnership with ECLAC and IBGE, conducted its first technical workshop in Rio de Janeiro, tailored specifically to the needs of the staff at the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The goal was to help them to build and strengthen internal capacities to leverage web data collection and analysis in their projects. The … Read More
Ciudata Segura
Increasingly, data and information are being promoted as powerful tools to understand and prevent crime and violence. However, there are key questions that remain largely unanswered: Why is crime clustering in certain neighborhoods? Why do certain individuals turn to crime while others do not? Ciudata Segura, leveraging sophisticated analyses of urban crime and violence in cities across Latin America and … Read More
Workshop “Big Data for Sustainable Development and Climate Change”
This series of workshops organized by Data-Pop Alliance, in coordination with GIZ and GIZ Colombia, addressed key terms, necessary tools, and challenges in the Big Data and sustainable development landscape, focusing on the applicability of these information sources in projects related to climate change adaptation and mitigation. This in-person workshop provided an introduction to the “3 C’s of Big Data” … Read More
Eureka: A Social Media Platform for Social Change
Eureka is the first book-film club for social change. We are a non-for-profit and non-data extractive social media platform designed for users to find books and films on a particular topic, discuss it with a community and ultimately, inspire engagement and action towards social change. Our goal is to use culture content as an excuse to promote deep dialogue. Our … Read More
DataMex
Data-Pop Alliance and Oxfam México formed a partnership through “DataMex”, with the goal of advancing research and the application of Big Data for sustainable development in Mexico. This agreement, signed in late 2018, has since led to a consultancy and scoping study to identify the areas in which Big Data could be employed to better understand inequalities that have not … Read More
Characterizing and Analyzing Urban Dynamics In Bogota (from the Paper Series: “Big Data to Address Global Development Challenges”)
Four research papers were developed in collaboration with and funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) between 2016 and 2019 as part of a joint program with Data-Pop Alliance and research partners, titled “Strengthening the Evidence-Base for Leveraging Big Data to Address Global Development Challenges”. This paper, “Characterizing and Analyzing Urban Dynamics in Bogota”, utilized open data and mobile phone … Read More
White Paper “The Law, Politics and Ethics of Cell Phone Data Analytics”
This white paper, developed in partnership with and funded by The World Bank, examined Call Detail Records (CDRs) and their expanding role in providing insight into human behavior, movements, and social interactions. After providing additional contextual elements (Part 1), the paper summarized current legal frameworks (Part 2), explored structural socio-political parameters and incentives for sharing CDRs (Part 3), proposed guiding … Read More
Data Collection and Analysis for the “World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development Global Report 2021-2022”
DPA worked alongside UNESCO to develop an analytical methodology and data partnerships to monitor and understand the status of press freedom and media development worldwide. DPA collected and analyzed over 150 data sources to produce comprehensive, data-driven evidence on global and regional trends in media freedom, media pluralism, media independence, and safety of journalists, all examined through a gender-sensitive perspective. … Read More
Using Misinformation as a Political Weapon: COVID-19 and Bolsonaro in Brazil
With over 30,000 confirmed cases, Brazil is currently the country most affected by COVID-19 in Latin America, and ranked 12th worldwide. Despite all evidence, a strong rhetoric undermining risks associated to COVID-19 has been endorsed at the highest levels of the Brazilian government, making President Jair Bolsonaro the leader of the “coronavirus-denial movement”. To support this strategy, different forms of … Read More
National Big Data Strategy for Colombia
The MIT Media Lab and DPA provided technical assistance to iNNpulsa—Colombia’s entrepreneurship and innovation agency—and to the Department of National Planning (DNP), in the design and development of the country’s first national Big Data strategy, which was presented to the President of Colombia in 2020. After intensive research, DPA produced nine diagnostic documents that were used to identify priority areas … Read More
Book and Movie Club: “Networks’ Capitalism: Addiction, Disinformation and Violence”
This Book and Movie Club, a joint effort between Eureka and DPA, focused on addiction, disinformation, and violence stemming from social media in the context of Latin America. The Club featured two documentaries, a fiction movie, and a book related to the topic that addressed questions such as, Does monetization imply addition? How is social media used to spread hatred … Read More
Strategic Assessment of the European Commission’s Work in Digitalization in Sub-Saharan Africa
This study, produced in collaboration with ADE, assessed the European Union’s external cooperation for development (DEVCO, now INTPA) in the cross-cutting field of digitalization in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with a view to issuing a series of lessons learned and recommendations to inform current and future cooperation work. In particular, this evaluation focuses on understanding and analyzing DEVCO’s investments and projects … Read More
Professional Training Program “Leveraging Big Data for Sustainable Development”
Carried out in partnership with United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC), this series of courses aimed to help practitioners and policymakers develop and implement Big Data innovation projects, policies, and partnerships in support of sustainable development objectives. The content was structured into three main modules: contexts and concepts; methods and tools; and strategy and conception/ethics and engagement. The workshops were … Read More
Project Cycle Hacking Toolkit: Leveraging Non-Traditional Data Sources Along the GIZ Project Cycle
In partnership with the GIZ Data Lab, this project sought to create a Toolkit to guide GIZ in the use of nontraditional data sources throughout the project lifecycle. The tool was designed and developed from a thorough analysis of GIZ processes, with the goal of understanding how and where non-traditional sources of data could be leveraged in the formulation, design, … Read More
“Data for Refugees” (D4R) Challenge
For this challenge, DPA collaborated with various Turkish institutions such as Türk Telkom (the country’s leading telecommunication operator) in collaboration with Boğaziçi University, TÜBİTAK (Turkey’s Scientific and Technological Research Council), the MIT Media Lab, FBK, IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF, to make several anonymized datasets of mobile phone users available to international research teams. The goal was to develop projects to analyze … Read More
The Racial Justice Data Project
The current debate on the collection and use of race-related data is shaped by country-specific cultural practices and historical backgrounds. Nevertheless, there is a pressing need for more and better racial data in all societies, as a prerequisite for addressing related inequalities. The Racial Justice Data Project contributed to this movement of greater visibility for racial data while focusing on … Read More
Event Paper: “Big Data and Privacy: Understanding the Possibilities and Pitfalls of the Data Revolution in Germany”
How can we make full use of data analytics in a responsible and human-centered manner? Which forms of data use should be excluded, and who should set the rules? As the first event paper in the “Digitising Europe” series (published with the Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications), this publication captured the major key themes that emerged from the initiative’s … Read More
Harnessing Innovative Data and Technology to Measure Development Effectiveness
In partnership with Southern Voice, this research project aimed to develop a methodological framework for assessing development effectiveness and to rebuild this discourse from the ground up, informed by Southern perspectives. The key objective of the study was to create a methodological guide that utilized new sources of data and techniques for assessing development effectiveness. The study provided an overview … Read More
Policy Paper “Sharing is Caring: Four Key Requirements for Sustainable Private Data Sharing and Use for Public Good”
How data are shared and used will determine, to a large extent, the future of democracy and human progress. In this context, the authors of the paper “Sharing is Caring” described four key requirements that had to inform European efforts to ensure that private data were shared and used for the public good in a safe, ethical, and sustainable manner. … Read More
Position Paper “How to Use Big Data? Leading Experts’ Roadmap to Data-Driven Innovation Projects. Key Results from the Digitasing Europe Initiative”
This paper, developed in cooperation with the Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications, highlighted overall takeaways and recommendations in the areas of privacy protection, responsible data governance, transparency, and accountability for unleashing big data-driven innovation. These included: (1) Putting ‘privacy by design’ into action through privacy-preserving technical procedures and standards for data sharing and use; (2) Focusing on responsibility in … Read More
Assessing Africa’s Borderlands Informal Social Protection Mechanisms in Liberia and Sierra Leone
This study, supported by the UNDP’s Country Offices in Liberia and Sierra Leone, developed a deep understanding of the existing informal social protection mechanisms and community development needs in the borderlands of Sierra Leone and Liberia. DPA adopted an inductive ethnographic approach consisting of qualitative methods complemented with quantitative data collection to identify borderland community needs and trends, covariate shocks … Read More
Supporting the Development of Comprehensive and Responsive Social Protection Systems for the Resilience of Vulnerable Households
In partnership with ProsperIA and with support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), this project aimed to create both preventive and responsive social protection systems against climate shocks and natural disasters in four Latin American countries: Colombia, Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Uruguay. An analysis of relevant data sources was conducted, followed by the development of a plan to access these … Read More
EmpoderaData
EmpoderaData built upon the success of the “Quantitative Step” (Q-Step) program, which was developed as a strategic response to the shortage of quantitatively-skilled social science graduates in the United Kingdom. Together, University of Manchester and Data-Pop Alliance expanded upon the program’s excellent results, exploring this model in the Global South as the “EmpoderaData Project”. The project aimed to promote a … Read More