What Our Work Adds Up to In Terms of Impact: 2019 In Review
2019 has been a year of transition for Pulse Lab Jakarta. Since its establishment in 2012, Pulse Lab Jakarta has effectively undertaken three main functions: (i) Forging and Leveraging Strategic Partnerships, (ii) Identifying and Combining New Data Sources, and (iii) Contributing to Global and Regional Research Agendas. Taking stock of what has been accomplished, it is exciting to note how PLJ has expanded the sources and types of data analysed, the number of partnerships now in place and the variety of contributions provided to improve research-oriented development outcomes. This report seeks not only to profile what has been accomplished in 2019, but importantly to highlight what the body of work actually adds up to in terms of impact.
Emerging through our analysis is that PLJ’s results in 2019 show a clear progression, where the team has consistently built on relationships, research and data innovations to have impact. This includes observable changes in the way partner organisations work and have become more efficient and effective (Operational Impact), where the way we have applied data science and human centered design has now been adopted by others (Methodological Impact), and where we have contributed to improved institutional and linkages as well as the principles by which these institutions engage (Ecosystemic Impact).
This report highlights how PLJ has transitioned within the dynamic operational context it operates. From a Lab having to self-initiate projects and convince actors in a variety of development ecosystems of the value of data innovation through experiential evidence, PLJ is now having to carefully manage the overwhelming demand to share our accumulated knowledge, experience and networks.
This accumulation has also allowed the team to see clear emerging trends in terms of thematic areas of work the team is now consolidating its outputs. These are:
These areas are undergirded in our mission to strengthen the capacity of stakeholders to adopt, scale and utilise innovative, integrated, and gender-visible data solutions to better plan, monitor and evaluate advancements towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
We hope this report not only accounts for PLJ’s work in 2019, but provides insights and opportunities to improve and strengthen our engagement and the broader Global Pulse network moving forward. We have been good in presenting possibilities on how to apply data innovations to development initiatives, the challenge moving forward is to move from possibilities to realities, where our prototypes can be operationalised in real-life settings to address challenges faced by development institutions and stakeholders.
The full report can be accessed through the following link: bit.ly/PLJ2019AnnualReport
Pulse Lab Jakarta is grateful for the generous support from the Government of Australia
