We are falling in love with data. But as often happens when we are smitten, we are not clear on what to do with the object of our affection. We do know how to talk it up, at least. Data has been heralded as the lifeblood of decision-making. And data has also, famously, been called the new oil — valuable, but not really useful if left unrefined.
And so, how to refine data to support our development objectives?
On 6 August 2018, Saraswati and Iykra — two Indonesian companies that promote technology and innovation for development — hosted a public discussion in Jakarta on How Data is Revolutionizing Development. Speakers from Pulse Lab Jakarta (PLJ), Katadata, and the USAID-Sustainable Ecosystems Advanced Project (USAID-SEA) shared their experiences in innovating with data.
Diastika Rahwidiati, Deputy Head of Office at PLJ, described the challenges that PLJ faced by being the first-of-its-kind innovation lab in Indonesia. PLJ has gone from exploring big data to more nuanced approaches, including in combining multiple data sources for platforms such as the Early Warning System for Climate Impact, VAMPIRE (which has been adopted by the Executive Office of the President) and blending quantitative and qualitative analysis. Check out the presentation here.
Jamilatuz Zahro, Senior Data Analyst at Katadata gave a passionate presentation about the evolution of technology and the role that data is playing in informing (and reforming) journalism as well as in promoting more effective public services. Check out the presentation here.
Irna Sari, Fisheries Advisor at USAID-SEA, described her work with and around data in support of sustaining Indonesia’s fisheries. Sari highlighted the complexities of reaching agreements on data needs and data collection among different stakeholders and the challenges in infrastructure and capacity in compiling and verifying data in Indonesia’s more remote areas. Check out the presentation here.
This public discussion also served as the launch for datakali — a data for development initiative from Saraswati and Iykra. datakali aims to promote data literacy and build key data skills among development partners. datakali also supports a growing community of data practitioners within Indonesia’s development community.
datakali will conduct its first Data for Development training on 18–19 September in Jakarta. If you are interested in building your skills in data for development, please visit here for more information and registration details.
Credit: Saraswati Team.
