DATA ACTION: Using Data for a Public Good | Sarah Williams | TEDxMIT Salon
Summary
TLDRThe speaker addresses the paradox of the Big Data era, highlighting the significant gaps in essential data in many countries, particularly affecting vulnerable communities. They discuss 'Data Action,' their approach to harnessing data creatively to influence policy and improve public benefit. Using Nairobi's transportation system as a case study, they detail how they leveraged local technology and community engagement to collect data on informal transit systems, leading to policy changes and global replication. The talk also covers the creation of interactive data visualizations to advocate for migrants, influencing U.S. policy on legal visas for Central American agricultural workers.
Takeaways
- 🌍 We are living in an era of Big Data, but also an era of missing data, particularly in vulnerable regions lacking basic infrastructure and census data.
- 📊 Missing Maps project reveals significant gaps in infrastructure data, especially in the Global South, which marginalizes communities further.
- 🚌 In Nairobi, Kenya, informal transit systems, particularly matatus, which account for 80% of road traffic, lacked any formal data or maps.
- 📱 Cell phone use was leveraged to collect transit data in Nairobi by creating an app in collaboration with local communities and the University of Nairobi.
- 🌐 GTFS (Google Transit Feed Specification) was used to organize and collect transit data, allowing integration with platforms like Google Maps.
- 👨💻 A local hackathon resulted in five new apps and the inclusion of Nairobi’s informal transit system in Google Maps for the first time.
- 🗺️ A subway-style map was created for the matatu system in collaboration with bus drivers and stakeholders, making it the official map for Nairobi’s transit system.
- 🚍 The Nairobi project has inspired over 40 cities globally to develop similar data solutions for informal transit systems.
- 🌱 Data-driven visualizations have been used in migration studies, helping policymakers understand the motivations and financial challenges of migrants.
- 🤝 The data collected has led to significant policy changes, such as the expansion of legal visas for Central American migrants, backed by visualizations presented to Congress.
Q & A
What era are we living in according to the speaker?
-We are living in an era of Big Data, but also an era of missing data, where many countries lack basic census data or infrastructure data essential for resource allocation.
What is the Missing Maps project mentioned in the script?
-The Missing Maps project produces maps that highlight the lack of infrastructure in many areas, particularly in the global South, to help fill the data gap and support vulnerable communities.
What is 'data action' as described by the speaker?
-'Data action' refers to the process of using data to create public benefit and influence policy. It involves collecting data in unique ways, synthesizing it into useful tools, and communicating it effectively to inspire change.
Why was the transportation system in Nairobi, Kenya, a focus of the speaker's work?
-The transportation system in Nairobi was a focus because the city developed faster than its transportation infrastructure could keep up, leading to congested streets, and the speaker aimed to model and improve this system.
What is a 'matatu' and why are they significant in Nairobi's transportation?
-Matatus are the main mode of transportation in Nairobi, representing close to 80% of the vehicles on the roadway, making them crucial for understanding and modeling the city's transportation system.
How did the speaker and her team collect data on Nairobi's matatus?
-They leveraged the ubiquitous use of cell phones in Nairobi to collect data by building an app in collaboration with the University of Nairobi, which collected data in the GTFS format used by Google Maps.
What was the outcome of the hackathon in Nairobi regarding matatu data?
-The hackathon resulted in five different apps developed by the local tech community and the inclusion of Nairobi's informal transit system in Google Maps for the first time.
How did the creation of a traditional subway map-style visualization benefit the understanding of matatu systems?
-The subway map-style visualization made the complex matatu system more understandable to everyone, including those without smartphones, and helped stakeholders see the organized nature of the system run by a union.
What was the impact of the matatu system map on policy and public perception?
-The map went viral, was made official by the city, and showed that the matatus were an organized system. This led to multilaterals and the government considering ways to make these systems safer.
How did the speaker's work on migration data visualize the experiences of migrants between Colombia and Panama?
-The speaker created a visualization from data collected from migrants, showing that 42 countries were represented in the dataset. This helped to understand the motivations and costs associated with migration.
What was the significance of the interactive tool presented during the congressional hearing in 2021?
-The interactive tool allowed congressmen to explore data and insights themselves, leading to recommendations for more legal visas for Central American migrants, which were later adopted by the Biden Administration.
How did the 'tapestry of motivations' visualization impact the World Food Program's fundraising efforts?
-The tapestry, created with physical dollar bills representing the reasons migrants leave, allowed the World Food Program to interact with the data and hear migrant stories, which had a significant impact on their fundraising efforts during a time when funding was being diverted to the war in Ukraine.
Outlines
🗺️ Data Action for Infrastructure and Transportation
The speaker introduces the concept of 'Data Action,' emphasizing the importance of data in addressing the lack of infrastructure and transportation systems in many parts of the world. They highlight the work done in Nairobi, Kenya, where the rapid urban development has outpaced the transportation infrastructure. The absence of data on 'matatus,' which are the primary mode of transportation, led to a collaborative effort with the University of Nairobi to collect data using an app. This data was formatted in GTFS, a standard used by Google Maps, which facilitated the creation of routing and mapping tools. The project resulted in the first informal transit system being added to Google Maps and inspired similar initiatives globally. The speaker also discusses creating a physical map to help people understand the matatu system, which was a significant step in recognizing and improving the transportation system's organization and safety.
🌐 Impactful Data Visualization in Global Policy
The speaker discusses the power of data visualization in influencing global policy, using the example of migration between Colombia and Panama. They present a visualization created from data collected at migration hotspots, which revealed the diverse origins of migrants. To understand the motivations behind migration, the speaker collaborated with various organizations to interview thousands of migrants. The data was used to create an interactive tool for a Congressional hearing, allowing policymakers to explore and understand the migrants' experiences and costs. This approach led to policy recommendations, such as increasing legal visas for Central American migrants, which were later adopted by the Biden Administration. The speaker also describes creating a physical tapestry representing the reasons for migration, which was used to engage with the World Food Program and raise awareness about the migrants' stories.
🌱 Data-Driven Advocacy for Migrant Rights
In this paragraph, the speaker reflects on the impact of their data-driven advocacy, particularly in the context of migrant rights. They recount how their interactive data visualizations were used to influence policy during a Congressional hearing, leading to an increase in legal visas for Central American agricultural workers. The speaker emphasizes the importance of trust in data and the ability for individuals to interact with it to form their own insights. They also discuss the creation of a physical tapestry made of money to symbolize the economic motivations behind migration. This tapestry was interactive, allowing viewers to tap on dollar bills and hear migrant stories, which had a profound impact on the World Food Program and their fundraising efforts. The speaker concludes by encouraging others to use data to create change and influence policy.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Big Data
💡Missing Data
💡Data Action
💡Matatus
💡GTFS
💡Hackathon
💡Informal Transit Systems
💡Migration
💡Interactive Data Visualization
💡Legal Visas
Highlights
We're living in an era of Big Data, but also an era of missing data, with many countries lacking basic census or infrastructure data.
Missing data marginalizes vulnerable communities, and the Missing Maps project highlights the lack of infrastructure in many areas.
The speaker aims to change the power dynamic by building data in unique ways to fill gaps and create public-benefit tools.
Data Action is defined as the process of telling stories with data to drive policy changes.
In Nairobi, Kenya, transportation issues are exacerbated by rapid urban development outpacing transit systems.
Matatus, which make up 80% of vehicles on Nairobi's roads, lacked data on their routes until a new model was created.
Leveraging the ubiquity of cell phone use in Nairobi, an app was built to collect data on bus routes in the GTFS format used by Google Maps.
A local hackathon led to the development of five apps and the first informal transit system on Google Maps.
A traditional subway map format was used to make the complex matatu system understandable to everyone.
Stakeholders, including bus drivers, were involved in editing the map, which was released in newspapers and went viral.
The map's release led to policy changes, as it showed the matatus were an organized system, prompting multilaterals to consider safety improvements.
The work in Nairobi inspired a global network of over 40 cities to develop similar data and resources.
Data visualizations can have a significant impact on policy, as seen with a report on migration between Colombia and Panama.
Migrants' data was collected through hotspots and interviews, revealing the high costs and motivations for migration.
An interactive tool was created for a Congressional hearing, allowing participants to explore migration data and find insights.
The visualization led to policy recommendations, including increasing legal visas for Central American migrants.
The Biden Administration responded by opening up more legal visas for agricultural workers, citing the report's findings.
A tapestry made of money visualized the reasons migrants leave, with each dollar representing a story that could be heard through interaction.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of building teams, collecting unique data, quantifying results, and iterating through visualizations to take data to action.
Transcripts
if you haven't heard um we're living in
an era of Big Data um I heard that many
many times today but um I would also say
that we're living in an era of missing
data many countries in the world don't
even have basic census data or
infrastructure data essential to
allocate desperately needed
resources this lack of data further
marginalizes what are already vulnerable
communities in this map produced by the
missing maps project um we see the lack
of infrastructure in many areas uh in
the global
South I seek to change that power
Dynamic by building data in unique ways
to help fill the
Gap and synthesize that data into tools
that have a public benefit that can
change change
policy it's a process that I talk about
in my book data action so what is data
action I love telling stories with data
so let's tell a
story um and I'm taking you to Nairobi
Kenya I do a lot of work in Nairobi and
I've been working on issues around
Transportation um and if you look at
this map you can see or not map this
video you can see that Nairobi streets
are always very clogged um the city of
Nairobi is developed way faster than the
transportation systems could catch up
with it and this is something that's
happening in cities ac across uh the
world as people are moving in at a rapid
Pace um but one of the things that when
I came to Nairobi to kind build their
transformation model I didn't have have
data on these buses these are uh the
main way people get around and they're
called matatus um and they represent
close to 80% of the vehicles on the
roadway so you can understand if I had a
model I need the data about where the
buses go so I can really accurately
model that um and it was shocking not
only that there wasn't data about where
these buses went but the citizens didn't
even have a map so I thought how could I
create raw data for my model that
everyone could use um and build upon we
took if you've ever been to Nairobi
Kenya people use their cell phones for
everything they have something called
Mesa which they use it to actually buy
bus fairs buy coffee use it for your
taxi ride and we thought we could
Leverage The ubiquitous nature of cell
phone use in Nairobi uh to collect this
data we built an app with the our
partners at the community at the
University of Nairobi and we collected
data in something called
gtfs you probably don't know what gtfs
is but you guys have all used it gtfs is
the data standard in Google maps that
allows you to Route yourself in transit
I sto and take note in this because
collecting data and an existing standard
helps to make it instantly more
usable uh because there's so much open-
Source software developed for it and
that's what we did in Nairobi we had a
haathon we invited the local Tech
Community to teach them about the ggsf
data format and from that hacka five
different apps developed by the local
Tech Community uh were produced um and
also it was the first informal transit
system in Google Maps now there are many
and we help many cities across the world
do that but by collecting the data in
the system we were able to uh negotiate
iate with Google to get them online here
you can see the data streaming uh in our
application creating the roadway stops
and routes um but you can see that
understanding the complexity of the
system is is as hard as routes are
overlapping so we needed a way for
everyone with or without a smartphone to
understand the matatu system um so we
started to think of a format of a
traditional Subway
map uh we teamed up with stakeholders in
the community including bus drivers who
helped us edit the map as you can see
here um in this video um making these
matatu systems more physical had a huge
benefit to n for the first time it
showed that the matatus were an
organized system run by a union who
decided and set routes and stops this
meant that that NOS multilaterals could
help and think about ways to make these
systems
safer we worked with the government uh
to edit the maps as well as focus groups
of writers um and ultimately the map was
released um in the
newspapers um and went viral on the the
internet um the city in fact made it the
official
map semi-formal Transit provides
Mobility around the world it's not just
Nairobi that has this kind of system in
fact most city in the worlds have these
kind of informal transit systems and our
work has inspired cities from Aman to
Managua and we now have a Global Network
of over 40 cities that we've helped
develop this data and we have a resource
center based in Africa and Latin America
so creating data can just start with one
small
app um as you can see my work isn't just
about building data it's about also
creating unique ways to communicate that
data so that policy makers can update
that results we saw that in Nairobi with
the map had a huge impact on the way uh
policy makers
interacted in the last few years I
started to work on another issue with
Global Effect
migration here we're looking at a
visualization I created from data
collected from migrants on their passage
between Colombia and Panama showing that
42 countries as far as away as China and
Africa were represented in the the data
set and we got this data uh through um
hotspots provided to the migrants along
their migration
pathway but we wanted to know what
motivated migrants to
leave and so we together with the world
food program the migration policy
Institute the interamerican development
bank and the organization of American
states interviewed 5,000 migrants about
what uh motivated them to leave how much
it cost them how were they traveling
what were the means that they were
migrating the data sample was taken from
a region in which in these countries
which were experiencing high levels of
migration to due to climate change
violence and
economics and together our team created
a report the kind of report you might
typically see uh we were very excited
about our findings but I really was
thinking this is not going to get the
message across I looked at the stacks of
reports in my colleagues office and I
thought how can we really make a
difference with some of the really
important findings that came out and so
I asked the world food program could we
make a tool tool that we would present
and use and allow people to interact
with the data uh to find their own
insights and they took that leap of
faith and for a congressional Hearing in
2021 we presented an interactive
experience and uh mind you in 2021
Congressional hearings were having
happening on Zoom so we put the link in
the zoom and allowed people to walk
through our website uh we contextualize
the work with larger issues and
historical framework of
migration um but one of the biggest
findings in our report can you believe
it is that migrants in just one year
spent
2.2 billion doar to
migrate can you believe that we spend
$2.9 billion do to keep those same
migrants out um and so one of the things
we wanted to show is that also migrants
are spending collectively as much as
their countries are spending on primary
education uh in the hope of a new
life the cost of migration to them was
really significant migrants take on
Extreme debt we allow the congressmen to
explore the data numbers and ultimately
we recommended that Congress provide
more legal visas for Central American
migrants um and just to give not you
know when we think about legal visas
right now in our agricultural Workforce
um 73% of our agricultural Workforce of
migrants 93% of those are Mexican um so
what we're saying is let's open up legal
Pathways for this really critical U
population of Central American
migrants and that's exactly what 33
Senators did after our Congressional
hearing citing our findings and our
report to the Biden
Administration just two months later the
Biden Administration opened up more
legal visas for um migrants working in
the agricultural Workforce specifically
thinking about Central American
migrants we were so excited about the
impact of this visualization but we
wanted to know really did we have an
impact did the visualization actually do
something so we W interviewed people who
were at the congal hearing after and we
asked them what effect did these
visualizations have on the result and
almost all of them said I felt like I
could trust the information that I could
find my own insights could I learn new
things from the way that you allowed us
to explore that data obviously we're
presenting it to them though so that's a
a kind of artifice that we're creating
but that kind of trust in the ability to
interact with data kind of help them
build their own trust in the system
after the Congressional hearing we
wanted migrants to have a way to tell
their story um so not just creating
visualizations for them and so we took
this idea of a tapestry of motivations
which was in our tool and this tapestry
shows the reasons that migrants motivate
motivated to leave um and we use it as
inspiration to create
a tapestry out of money um thinking
about that $2.2 billion dollar that
tapestry was built with migrants from
Central America um in a shelter in
Mexico City the tapestry was put to in
the world head food program headquarters
in Rome um and here you can see um that
the overwhelming reason that migrants
leave are this blue color or economic
reason reasons red is uh security uh
purple is violence uh yellow is quality
of life green is climate change and in
that headquarters they were able to
interact with the data and each dollar
had a chip in it and they could tap that
chip on the screen and actually hear
that migrant
story this visualization had a huge
impact on the world program they were at
their executive board meeting when this
was happening trying to raise funding at
a time when lots of funding was being
diverted to the war in Ukraine and they
wanted to make sure money was still
coming into the cause of migrants this
is David Beasley and the Ambassador
Panama who really took hard in this
topic and in fact David Beasley went
along the migration Trail after he saw
this to help kind of Garner more support
through his Twitter feed and and this is
how we take data to action we build
teams to work together we collect data
uniquely we quantify the results
uniquely we open that data up through
visualizations and we iterate along the
way I hope I inspired all of you to take
data to action and use your superow to
create change and influence policy in
this world thank
you
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