Timely, high-quality data is critical to reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals — but harnessing it requires new ways of thinking, collaboration, and investment in national statistics systems. Learn more about what’s needed to catalyze data for real-world impact in this Nature article, featuring insights from TReNDS’ experts and partners.
Read MoreGuest author, Grant Cameron, highlights emerging lessons from national statistical offices during the Covid-19 pandemic and shares key focus areas to further support NSOs’ resilience and modernization. These include: the development of a business continuity framework; the documentation of successful processes and pathways for real-time NSO engagement with policymakers; and the development of strategies that reinforce modernization post-Covid-19.
Read MoreCovid-19 has brought to light many of the barriers to evidence-based and data-based policy-making. In this blog, SDSN TReNDS’ expert member, Jonathan Glennie, explores these barriers and shares what’s needed to overcome them.
Read MoreThe world’s inability to detect and contain the spread of COVID-19 has been financially devastating. The International Monetary Fund says that the global economy will shrink by 3% this year. Many analysts have described the decline as the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s, with 42.6 million people applying for unemployment benefits in America alone. With these losses, budgets are tightening around the world. Prioritization of essential spending is more critical than ever, and many governments and organizations are understandably placing their hopes in the development of an effective vaccine. But as much as a vaccine is needed to address the pandemic, accurate and real-time data is needed to enable the detection and containment of its spread. And governments and development organizations can do more to better strengthen statistical systems by providing adequate financing.
Read MoreAs COVID-19 has wreaked havoc across the globe, the data community is steadfastly working to develop new tools and methods to better track and monitor the virus. And considerable attention has been given to the innovative role of big data in the response efforts. For instance, in the United States, data from smart thermometers are being used to predict the spread of the virus; Google is employing aggregated location data to demonstrate the impact of social distancing policies; and South Korea has used a variety of data sources, including individual cellphone data and credit card records to track and report on the virus spread. While these novel data solutions have the potential to help save lives, more fundamental data issues remain in the countries where the impact of COVID-19 is likely to be most devastating.
Read MoreTReNDS releases a new report on the return on investment for women and girls when resources are put towards civil registration and vital statistics systems, part of “Why CRVS systems matter for women and girls” from the International Development Research Centre’s Centre of Excellence for CRVS Systems.
Read MoreA recap of TReNDS’ activities at the UN World Data Forum 2018 and its own biannual meeting.
Read MoreTReNDS and GPSDD launch a series of case studies on the return on data investments.
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