Data–Pop Alliance has been conducting ongoing research on Big Data, climate change and environmental resilience. With funding from the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID), we published a synthesis report evaluating the opportunities, challenges and required steps for leveraging the new ecosystem of Big Data and its potential applications and implications for climate change and disaster resilience. The report fed into the World Humanitarian Summit to be organized in Istanbul in May 2016.

These video and audio companion pieces offer deeper insights from the synthesis report.

Data-Pop Alliance has produced a set of videos and podcasts as an extension of our synthesis report, “Big Data for Climate Change and Disaster Resilience: Realising the Benefits for Developing Countries,” evaluating the opportunities, challenges and required steps for leveraging the new ecosystem of Big Data to monitor and detect hazards, mitigate their effects, and assist in relief efforts as poor communities become more vulnerable to natural hazards. Funded by the Department for International Development (DfID), the report also addresses potential applications and implications of Big Data for climate change and disaster resilience.

The three videos and seven podcasts were put together in a series titled “Experts Speak.” They were designed to probe experts – including major report contributors and leaders of cited case studies – to speak more about their work, their ideas about the potential of Big Data, major challenges and pitfalls of Big Data, and who should get involved to maximize the use of Big Data in the future. The experts featured in the “Experts Speak” series explain their contributions to the report, while contextualizing and expanding upon the work included in the paper.

The three videos are all available on Data-Pop Alliance’s Youtube Channel. Below is a breakdown of the videos:

1) “Emmanuel Letouzé on Big Data for Climate Change & Disaster Resilience” Featuring Emmanuel Letouzé, Director of Data-Pop Alliance.

2) “Big Data for Climate Change and Disaster Resilience: Two Experts on their Work” Linus Bengtsson, Executive Director of Flowminder Foundation; and Bessie Schwarz, a Data-Pop Research Affiliate and founder of Cloud to Street.

3) “Big Data for Climate Change and Disaster Resilience: Who Needs to Get Involved to Tap its Potential?” Featuring Emmanuel Letouzé, Director of Data-Pop Alliance; Bessie Schwarz, a Data-Pop Research Affiliate; and Linus Bengtsson, Executive Director of Flowminder Foundation.

The podcasts are available on Soundcloud, as well as posted on our website. Below is a list of the podcasters and the topics they discussed:

1. Patrick Vinck, Assistant Professor at Harvard University, Director of HHI’s program for Vulnerable Populations, Co-Director and Co-Founder of Data-Pop Alliance, a synthesis report contributor and reviewer, on Data Breadcrumbs, Who Should Get involved, and Kobo Toolbox

2. Mark Iliffe, Research Fellow at University of Nottingham and author of ‘Big Data for Flood Resilience in East Africa’ on Participatory Geography, Flood Mapping, & Private Enterprise vs. Government Action

3. Markus Luczak-Roesch, Computer Scientist at University of Southampton and author of ‘Inclusiveness in Crowdsourced Disaster Response (INCROWD)’ on Navigating a Heterogeneous Data Landscape and Legislating for Big Data

4. Marion Dumas, PhD in Sustainable Development, Columbia University, Research Affiliate, Data-Pop Alliance, a synthesis report contributor, on “Democratic Data,” Crowdsourcing, and Opportunities and Pitfalls of Big Data

5. Friederike Otto & Mamun Rashid of CPDN, Oxford e-Research Centre, on CPDN, Climate Modeling, and Extreme Weather Events

6. Silke Roth, sociologist at University of Southampton and author of Inclusiveness in Crowdsourced Disaster Response (INCROWD) on Crowdsourcing, Digital Inequalities, and Combining Cultural Knowledge with Big Data

7. Serge Guillas, Reader at Department of Statistical Science, University College London and author of ‘Big Data for Tsunami Hazard Warnings in India’ on Tsunami Hazard Systems in India, Local Action, & Uncertainties