New data sources and innovative approaches using big data techniques, spatial analysis, predictive modeling, and other technologies are creating a range of new datasets that can help measure and monitor SDG-related targets and indicators. And while data availability is vital to tackling any global agenda, more data does not always guarantee good decision-making. To take meaningful action--whether it be a global crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic, or the recent earthquake in Haiti--policymakers and other SDG stakeholders must understand what data are fit-for-purpose. Earth observation (EO) and remote sensing products have emerged as an important source of data that present an opportunity to monitor environmental, agricultural, and other SDG-related indicators in fine temporal and spatial resolutions. With the increase of near real-time information, how do users identify the best-suited data source for their application of interest?
Read MoreAs we continue to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, one could argue that never before has timely and accurate population data been so critical. Population data is necessary to understand everything from the spread of the virus and who is impacted, to where vulnerable populations are located, and levels of population density for establishing effective social-distancing measures. And gridded population data are playing an important role in helping researchers access this type of information. Gridded population maps distribute data using grid cells, combining census results with additional information, such as geospatial data from satellites, to ensure more frequent and granular estimates, which are vital during a constantly evolving epidemic. In this blog, we explore how gridded population data are being used by researchers to inform the COVID-19 response.
Read MoreAs the world continues to face the immense challenges posed by Covid-19, nontraditional data sources, including gridded population data, play an important role in tracking the virus’ spread and ensuring that no one is left behind. Gridded population maps distribute data using grid cells, combining census results with additional information, such as geospatial data from satellites, to provide more accurate and timely population estimates. However, as our recent report on gridded population data and joint webinar with the International Science Council revealed, while they offer great promise, many policymakers and researchers are still largely unaware of gridded population data, particularly their nuances and potential applications for sustainable development and Covid-19.
Read MoreIn advance of SDSN TReNDS’ webinar on gridded population data with the International Science Council, TReNDS’ Analyst, Hayden Dahmm, spoke with Lizzie Saylor of the International Science Council for a Q & A on how gridded population data can be used to respond to emergencies and move towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Read MoreDuring the current health crisis, knowing where people are located, what conditions they are facing, and their access to basic services and infrastructure is essential. Helping to answer these key needs, gridded population data have emerged and can play an important role in mapping individuals’ vulnerability and ensuring that no one is left behind. Gridded (or raster) population maps represent the distribution of population in rows and columns of grid cells, typically defined by their latitude-longitude coordinates. Population data is redistributed across these grid cells and combined with satellite imagery and other sources to provide more accurate and timely population estimates. Yet, as TReNDS’ recent report, Leaving No One Off The Map: A Guide To Gridded Population Data For Sustainable Development, demonstrates, many policymakers and other users remain largely unaware of these tools, including their nuances and strengths and weakness for potential application. There is a critical need for more validation work and capacity-building in countries. These issues were highlighted during a recent virtual debate, “How Can We Leverage Population Data In A Time Of Crisis,” hosted by TReNDS in partnership with SciDev.net.
Read MoreLike any health issue, the impacts of Covid-19 are strongly gendered. Men are believed to be more susceptible to the virus, while women are more exposed in other ways: to an increased care burden, to heightened incidences of gender-based violence, to limited work opportunities, and to job losses. Understanding these gendered experiences and responding accordingly requires data that is disaggregated. It means going beyond the totals of people accessing facilities or losing their jobs, but disaggregating figures on the balance of men and women facing these challenges, including inequalities and discriminatory effects.
Read MoreAccess to timely and reliable data on population is critical to delivering global development programs and humanitarian assistance. It helps governments, donors, and implementing partners understand what services people have access to and the challenges they face both geographically and socially. Gridded population datasets — spatial databases on global populations that can be analyzed within mapping software — enable this to be achieved. But awareness of them is low.
Read MoreOne could argue that during the current global pandemic, data has never played such an important role. It is relied on for life and death decisions that are impacting billions of people around the globe. In particular, the need for accurate and real-time data, which many in the data for sustainable development community have been advocating for years, has come to the forefront of mainstream conversations. Yet in the haze of the countless Covid-19 data dashboards and discussions on data, much of the data being reported (especially in the United States) is incomplete, confusing to the general public, and being miscommunicated by journalists and politicians alike. As the spread of Covid-19 continues to increase at an alarming rate, policymakers and citizens each face numerous limitations.
Read MoreIt is estimated that approximately 2 million people around the world have been infected by the coronavirus, and the numbers continue to grow. Yet the data being reported are primarily coming from national governments, which are – for the most part – basing it on who has been tested, which likely reveals only a fraction of the scale of the pandemic. There’s a critical need for real-time reported data from hospitals, health clinics and outreach facilities, based not only on testing, but on symptoms and other key determinants. In addition, we need to know in real-time who lacks access to a health clinic or other basic services, and which clinics don’t have personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators or beds – as well as where the most vulnerable people live, their age, gender and other crucial demographic information. If there is one thing this pandemic has exposed, it is the acute weakness of the world’s data systems.
Read MoreTReNDS 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 MoreThe 2030 SDG Agenda promises to leave no one behind, but to fulfill this promise we need quality, timely, and accurate population data to account for everyone everywhere. Recent innovations in geospatial technology and remote sensing have paved the way for gridded population datasets to help fill these important gaps, but information is still lacking on their unique characteristics, potential, and limitations. These issues were highlighted during this week’s webinar, “Leaving No One off the Map: Gridded Population Data for Decision-Making,” hosted by TReNDS in partnership with Geospatial World Media featuring TReNDS Co-Chair and Director of CIESIN, Bob Chen, and TReNDS Manager, Maryam Rabiee.
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‘Driving science to action’ was a critical theme at the 2019 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall meeting where TReNDS, alongside CIESIN and GPSDD, presented on how to make information about integrating new data sources for population estimates more accessible to policymakers as well as insights from our forthcoming report, Leaving No One Off the Map: How Gridded Population Data Can Help Realize a More Sustainable World.
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 MoreEarlier this month, TReNDS joined partners at the second annual Human Planet Forum, hosted by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), to explore issues related to earth observation and population data for sustainable development. During the Forum, TReNDS presented on the POPGRID initiative and co-hosted a discussion with the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) on how to best communicate the value of gridded population data products to policymakers.
Read MoreThe POPGRID collaborative, managed by TReNDS, CIESIN, and the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, played host to representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Philippines, and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) at a UN Statistical Commission side event. Read a recap here.
Read MoreTReNDS is seeking a dynamic and talented mid-career professional to manage a series of strategic research programs relating to data science and new methodological approaches for monitoring sustainable development. Learn more about the role and how to apply here.
Read MoreA recap of TReNDS’ activities at the UN World Data Forum 2018 and its own biannual meeting.
Read MoreAt the 2018 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the UN and its extended community hosted discussions on global progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A question loomed large above the chatter: How can we accurately determine what progress we’ve made when so many challenges remain in gathering and using data for measurement of the SDGs?
Read MoreA report from the March 2018 Data for Development Festival, which brought together more than 300 participants from around the world to exchange new ideas to harness the data revolution for sustainable development.
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