Steph Pietras, Program Associate for TReNDS, sat down with Ms. Jewel Kudjawu, Director of Intersectoral Network from the Ghana EPA, and Mr. Paul Lamin, Director of Natural Resources and Governance from the Sierra Leone EPA, to discuss citizen science and how Data for Now has impacted their work.
Read MoreWhile it may serve as a surprise to some, citizen science has been around for thousands of years. With the influx of new technologies in recent years, such as mobile applications and remote sensing, citizen science has grown in popularity as researchers, governments, and citizens are now able to more seamlessly collaborate. In particular, citizen science has become a critical tool for helping to measure progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as fill data gaps. TReNDS’ expert members’ research, work at the country-level, as well as recent discussions on citizen science have helped to highlight the use of citizen science to fill important data gaps, the value of multistakeholder partnerships to mobilize citizen science initiatives at the local level, as well as the importance of garnering national buy-in.
Read MoreAt this time of the year, there is no shortage of predictions of what lies ahead. Typing “year ahead 2022” into your web browser alone yields 885 million results - more than one for every ten people on the planet. And for big data enthusiasts, limiting the search terms to “year ahead,” “big data,” and “2022” returns 300,000+ articles covering data trends, top tech predictions, and what we can expect from big data analytics. The results are spottier, however, when we search for what’s in store for national data ecosystems and the implications for sustainable development. Yet, efficient national data ecosystems and better use of data are critical to helping organizations from the public sector, private sector, and civil society achieve better outcomes, particularly in sustainable development. TReNDS’ Director, Grant Cameron, reflects on how these types of organizations will evolve in their use of data in the year ahead, what it means for the national and global data ecosystems, and how these changes will contribute to sustainable development.
Read MoreThis new StoryMap highlights TReNDS’ work to strengthen the measurement of marine litter in Ghana using citizen science approaches.
Read MoreHaving accurate and timely gender data is critical to developing effective policies and programs to ensure that no one is left behind. In this blog, Chisato Kimura and Alyson Marks review the potential for citizen science to help fill the acute gender data gaps facing many countries around the world.
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