The Big Data for Development Network (BD4D) in Costa Rica

Dec 3, 2019

On April 26, 2018, the Data Coordinator of Cepei, Fredy Rodríguez, presented the Big Data for Development Network to the media, journalists and private sector companies working with big data in Costa Rica.

The event, organized in collaboration with Telefónica Costa Rica, was an opportunity for more than 30 private sector companies interested in the use of big data for development and media representatives, to learn about the BD4D network, a Southern-led network that seeks to create relevant research for national, regional and global big data policies for development in the Global South; develop capacities among Southern researchers to address data development and governance issues; as well as to involve the private sector and decision makers in collaborative initiatives.

*Fredy Rodríguez, Data Coordinator of Cepei, April 26th, 2018, San José, Costa Rica. © Cepei*

What is the Big Data for Development Network?

Interest in big data for development has produced a tremendous demand for computer scientists and statisticians who can understand and analyze large data sets. Yet, as big data scientists are in short supply in developing economies, much of the research is coming from northern institutions. This dynamic has meant that the issues deemed significant to the debate tend to be driven by northern concerns, rather than by southern voices.

For this reason, LIRNEasia, the Local Development Research Institute (LDRI), the African Institute for Mathematical Science (AIMS), The Center of Internet and Society (CIS), and the Centro de Pensamiento Estratégico Internacional (Cepei), with the support of the International Development Research Center (IDRC) of Canada, came together to develop the initiative Big Data for Development Network in the Global South, a Southern-led network with the objective of developing policy relevant research on big data for development.

Centrándose en actividades relacionadas con los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS), durante un período de dos años, el trabajo de la red abarcará tanto el análisis de Big Data como el desarrollo de capacidades, a la vez que innovará en asociaciones de datos y colaboraciones con empresas del sector privado y responsables de políticas. También motivará una perspectiva crítica sobre cuestiones relacionadas con la marginación, la privacidad, los derechos, la ética y la competencia. Combinando esfuerzos de investigación coordinados a nivel mundial con centros regionales en África, Asia y América Latina, la red integrará los hallazgos del proyecto en procesos liderados por el Sur y representará las voces del Sur en las discusiones de política global sobre big data para el desarrollo.

Cepei leads the Latin America Hub, while LIRNEasia and The Center of Internet and Society (CIS) the Asian Hub. As for the African Hub, it is lead by the Local Development Research Institute (LDRI) and the African Institute for Mathematical Science (AIMS).