By Santanu Mishra, Co-founder & Executive Trustee of Smile Foundation
The prospect of propelling India’s development through data-driven research and innovation is further fuelled by the National Data Governance Framework Policy. The draft National Data Governance Framework Policy was first introduced in 2022 to ensure that non-personal data and anonymized data from both government and private entities are safely accessible to the research and innovation ecosystem.
India’s resolution was evident even during the G20 Presidency working group meeting towards promoting institutions like the National Data Analytics Platform and Data Governance Quality Index. Stressing leveraging Data for Development, India G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant had said, “Data can play a transformational role in development and in reducing poverty. Data must be accessible, real-time and should be put in the public domain.” “Good data governance” is one of the major objectives of India’s possible data for development leadership. There must be a more deliberate and designed push from India on harnessing data for sustainable development as the data quality and governance practice
Big data
Rapid and continuous technological advancement has led to a deluge of data, also known as Big Data. The analytics form of this information overload is crucial to every aspect of the digital economy and has the potential to impact decision-making.
The terabytes of data generated directly and incidentally in the operation of public programmes, if made available to the public, can improve policy, increase accountability, empower citizens, create new opportunities for private firms, and lead to development and economic growth.
‘Data revolution’ is inextricably linked to the UN (Sustainable Development Goals) SDGs, which are aimed at responding to the demands of a complex development agenda through transformative actions. Big data and related data mining techniques can help in better integration and implementation of sustainable development, as well as measurement of its progress.
In addition, advances in computing and data science have made it possible to process and analyse big data in real-time, which add depth and nuance to official statistics and survey data on human behaviours and experiences while assisting in targeting aid interventions to vulnerable groups.
The progress driver
Data is already helping predict climate patterns and address the fight against climate change. To help accelerate progress towards SDGs, it is important to convert data to intelligence and use cutting-edge emerging tech, including drones, geospatial mapping, and (artificial intelligence) AI, to generate futuristic new datasets.
According to the World Economic Forum, the new data economy resulting from drones could boost India’s Gross Domestic Product by USD 100 billion and create nearly 5 lakh jobs in the coming years. Geospatial technology is now being seen as a tool for inclusion and an enabler, driving progress across development sectors.
Filling the data gaps and improving data collection, processing, and dissemination can help identify problems and take the next step toward innovative solutions to address those. To achieve the desirable results, it is important to make data accessible to one and all.
The way forward
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has partnered with the Indian State of Telangana for Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture with an aim to strengthen food systems and food security through the use of AI, which in turn would help achieve the SDGs.
Big Data technologies and sustainable agriculture have been integrated in the past with an aim to assist data-driven decision-making in agricultural management to improve the volume and quality of production.
Big Data analytics have also been used to investigate possible applications in the food supply chain, ensuring food security, food safety, personalized nutrition, as well as the reduction in food waste to achieve the goal of zero hunger.
Similarly, satellite imagery data and geo-data have played a significant role in predicting and identifying poverty and also fighting it through the integration of poverty geography with data platforms, cloud computing, remote sensing, and AI.
While identifying gender gaps in education, employment, social and financial status, mobile phone data, geospatial data, and social media data along with Big Data analytics has allowed real-time monitoring of gender discrimination or gender inequality concerns worldwide.
Besides, the large clinical data available has facilitated the development of precision medicine while improving diagnosis, according to a study on big data and the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.
In the education sector, efficiency in learning and teaching can be improved through data analytics, which can also help to expand accessible learning resources while satisfying the ever-changing demand for new courses or skills and curriculum development.
Therefore, satellite data, new technologies, and new analytical approaches will not only help in quick and efficient decision-making based on evidence but also help to measure progress on all 17 SDGs in a way that is both inclusive and fair.
