TReNDS hosted an expert discussion on data for development on the sidelines of the 51st session of the UN Statistical Commission. The breakfast event took place on 3 March 2020, and featured remarks by several experts from the TReNDS network. The discussion highlighted as a key issue the lack of data currently available on SDG indicators, saying significant gaps exist in data timeliness, represented geographies, and other factors.
Read MoreAs 120+ National Statisticians and hundreds of stakeholders across the globe convened at the UN for the 51st session of the Statistical Commission last week, how to manage the increasing breadth of new data and technologies, new responsibilities, and the changing data ecosystem was at the forefront of the conversation.
Read MoreIncreasingly, policymakers and the general public demand both timely and quality data so we can understand how the world is developing. But despite living in an era of unprecedented technological boom and innovation, the truth is that much our data is wildly out of date. Many claim there is a silver bullet. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) between governments and the data and technology giants, all supposedly sitting on a goldmine of big data just waiting to be tapped. But for every one of these exciting shiny examples, there is a graveyard of failed collaborations. Why do some data collaborations succeed while others fail, and what can be done to ensure more effective public-private data sharing and collaboration?
Read MoreInsights from a roundtable discussion hosted by SDSN TReNDS, identify how governments need to change to support the creation and maintenance of the data required to achieve the SDGs. The role of traditional versus new data collection methods, policy and regulatory needs for data governance, and what a national data ecosystem should look like were among the topics debated. The learnings from the roundtable, along with the report “Counting on the World to Act,” will provide analysis and evidence-based solutions for government actors to take the much-needed steps toward achieving the data revolution.
Read MoreWe are on the cusp of another wave of disruptive technological innovation as 5G specifications, greater computing power, shrewd algorithms and very cheap internet-connected chips start to congregate around clever business ideas. If some estimates are to be believed, there’ll be a trillion devices connected to the internet by 2025. The sheer scale of connectivity will mean that our digital footprints will become significantly larger than they currently are, further blurring the lines between reality and cyberspace. If the snapshots of people’s lives in 2030 above were to materialise, what are the opportunities and risks inherent to those two realities? And, crucially for those of us who work in the data revolution for sustainable development, what are the things we need to start thinking about now to mitigate future risks?
Read MoreLast month, TReNDS members from around the world convened in Los Angeles on October 28 – 30 for the group’s bi-annual meeting. As part of the meeting, members honed their debate skills in a series of two Hollywood Reporter-style filmed roundtable debates on the relevance of the data revolution for sustainable development.
Read MoreThe Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) is a global non-governmental, non-profit organization that engages a network of students and young professionals in support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications. Over October 17-19, 2019, SGAC held its annual Space Generation Congress in the Washington DC area, and SDSN TReNDS participated in a special workshop on the SDGs that examined how space technology can inform our understanding of sustainable development.
Read MoreSDSN TReNDS is launching a preview of the upcoming report Counting on the World to Act (September 2019), which details the radical transformations needed in modern statistical systems in order to support the world’s greatest needs.
Read MoreSDSN TReNDS and the Inter-American Development Bank hosted a high-level roundtable discussion of TReNDS’ new report on modern statistical systems, Counting on the World, on October 25th in Washington, DC. Learn more about the event here.
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