It seems clear that the Covid-19 pandemic has created great challenges in the life and governance of our cities. However, these challenges are not the same for all the inhabitants of Latin America and the Caribbean. The pandemic has hit the most vulnerable in particular. A part of the population of our cities, which sometimes tends to be unnoticed, are migrants. Migrants … [Read more...] about How can Artificial Intelligence give a voice to vulnerable populations?
Big Data
Behind the scenes: Big Data analysis for public policy
In the previous blog Analyzing and improving access to culture we told the story of the Pase Cultural program evaluation. Behind that story is an open code tool that was key in analyzing the big, complex datasets generated by the program. The tool, called Georeferenced Program Evaluation (GPE), was designed for detailed geospatial analysis to measure the effectiveness of a … [Read more...] about Behind the scenes: Big Data analysis for public policy
Why should governments and cities use their data better?
One of the most important quotes in any business is, “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”. Today, more than ever, this quote is also true for cities where the rise in use of connected devices in urban space has immensely increased the amount of data generated – 90% of data available in 2016 was created in the two years prior[1]. This growth will continue to be … [Read more...] about Why should governments and cities use their data better?
To be or not to be “Smart Cities”: Is that the Question?
Imagine for a moment Hamlet trying to elucidate the urban dilemma of the future. Of course, with the deepest respect for Shakespeare. Our Danish prince would no longer hold in one of his hands a skull, but a brand-new cell phone. Thoughtful, he would envisage that the balanced development of cities, and perhaps of the planet, depends heavily on the transformation of cities into … [Read more...] about To be or not to be “Smart Cities”: Is that the Question?