2016 ICT4D Conference

Across the sector, there are endless discussions open data, shareable data, responsible data, and countless other ways to describe the data needed to design effective response to both emergencies and long-term development issues.  But the availability and access to data is only part of the challenge – what we all really need is access to information.  Making data useful and relevant requires leveraging the different sources of data, creating trust mechanisms that allow for the sharing and use of data, building responsible practices to protect privacy and security, and developing both individual and organizational capacity for the often difficult process of changing data into information.  Using the Ebola and Syrian refugee crises as backdrop, this talk will examine how data was used and what we can collectively do to make data usage more effective in future efforts.