Contact us at: datalab@giz.de

Data And Systems

In the last couple of years, international development has begun to think beyond the project or program logic towards broader scale interventions. Think tanks have praised a mission-driven approach (which the German Ministry for Development Cooperation aims to achieve). Others have looked at portfolio approaches, while others - like GIZ - are trying to integrate existing solutions into holistic interventions. All of these rely on a systemic approach to change. In the Data Lab, we are exploring how data can support a systemic approach to development and how new data sources can be integrated. We would be thrilled to hear from you if you have thoughts and ideas to share.

Generative AI

Generative AI is a promising area in the field of artificial intelligence. It enables organizations to generate novel designs and products, but it also raises ethical questions. In international development, it has the potential to transform the way we approach global challenges. However, there are also risks and challenges that need to be addressed, such as issues of bias and fairness, and concerns around privacy and security. Join us as we work out loud and explore this fascinating area in more detail.

Data Feminism

After our successful Data Feminism Event series conducted in partnership with the Data Pop Alliance, we are working on concrete possibilities to implement a feminist approach to data in our partner countries. In close cooperation with think tanks like Data2X or the aapti Institute and inspired by Catherine d'Ignazio and Lauren Klein, authors of the book Data Feminism, we are benefiting from the momentum of the German feminist development cooperation recently launched and explore how we can bring our gender data approaches to the next level.

Youth Sensitivity Of Climate Policy Documents

The climate crisis affects everyone but exacerbates existing inequalities, particularly for women and children in disadvantaged populations who bear the brunt of its impact due to their economic and social status. Integrating children and youth considerations into National Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other national policy processes is crucial for effective implementation of youth-responsive and equitable climate change interventions. However, there is a gap in evidence-based policy-making due to the time-intensive process of analyzing policy and law documents. To address this, a pilot project will use existing policy databases to collect English-language climate documents from several African countries and apply Natural Language Processing (NLP) to search for mentions of the special needs of children and youth, clustering them thematically for comparison and identification of gaps and recommendations.

Data In Circular Economy

In partnership with the BMZ financed Go Circular programme and based on a previous GIZ Data Lab activity regarding circular economy, a new collaboration aims to improve interoperability between digital tools for the circular economy and address challenges in detecting marine litter through a pilot project. The project involves cooperation with external stakeholders to collect data samples and combine non-traditional data sources with visual recognition software to identify litter hotspots and suggest counter measures. The project is being commonly developed with members of the PREVENT alliance, universities, research institutes, students, and individuals with expertise in digital solutions. The findings will be published in the form of a discussion paper. In a first step we want to check data interoperability of different companies/organizations working on a circular economy in order to strive for a common and open data repository.

DPPD – Road To Implementation

After the successful implementation of the DPPD Masterclass in November 2022, some teams are on their way to implement their proposed project ideas. Topics of some of the use cases deal with identification of resilient rice farmers, proven practices for reduced deforestation or wetland conservation. The Data Lab offers assistance with personal support with regard to technical aspects as well as deeper methodological DPPD insights. In addition, a webinar is planned together with the Sector Networks Rural Development Africa and Asia & Pacific to present the DPPD method to a larger audience and to give a stage to some excellent project ideas of the teams participating in the masterclass. Furthermore, a self-paced atingi course on DPPD basics is planned.