[Lindsay Barbieri]

Meeting title
Data for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): RDA Connections (Remote Access Instructions)
 
Collaborative session notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ha1MEG276KkuOSk52lHsMdJGw4w3Dg9bv9YMZufqVqk/edit
 
Meeting Location: Congress B
 
 
Short introduction describing the scope of the group and if any previous activities
During RDA P12, a BoF opened discussion of main themes, gaps, and coordination needs related to SDGs data. This was a well-attended beginning of a dialogue to frame cross-sector and cross-disciplinary data needs for the SDGs, which will benefit from the continuation of this joint IG session.
 

Furthermore in previous Plenaries the Data for Development IG has focused on the need of data to solve major issues of concern to in particular developing countries such as poverty, inequality, education, gender which are all also SDG targets. The sUAS Data IG has participated in a joint session with the Data for Development IG to discuss the role of emerging information technologies (such as sUAS) for data collection, and will build from this discussion as regarding the SDGs. 
 

Work underway within the RDA secretariat has focused on how RDA outputs and recommendations can be disseminated and packaged to support efforts of other organizations or community development initiatives. Such efforts include increasing organizational collaboration and integration of RDA outputs within education curricula, directly aligning with the mission of the UN interoperability collaborative. 
 

Discussions within The Health Data IG have been highly productive surrounding health and clinical informatics and use of large electronic health record data, as well as related topics of patient and data privacy. However, limited discussion has been directed towards data issues in epidemiology or increasing research data sharing to support health outcomes research in LMICs. This proposed session could provide a space for the Health Data IG to hold such discussions.
 
Additional links to informative material related to the group
Sustainable Development Goals Interoperability Data Collaborative: http://www.data4sdgs.org/initiatives/interoperability-data-collaborative
 
Interoperability: A practitioner’s guide to joining-up data in the development sector:
https://unstats.un.org/wiki/download/attachments/36143964/Guide%20to%20i…
 

A Vision for the Humanitarian Use of Emerging Technology for Emerging Needs:
https://www.preparecenter.org/sites/default/files/a_vision_for_the_human…
 
ICSU, ISSC (2015): Review of the Sustainable Development Goals: The Science Perspective. Paris: International Council for Science (ICSU). https://council.science/cms/2017/05/SDG-Report.pdf
 
Please add below additional links to informative material related to the participating groups, i.e. group pages, case statements, working documents etc…
 
 

RDA Data for Development Interest Group:
https://www.rd-alliance.org/groups/data-development.html
 

RDA Health Data Interest Group:
https://www.rd-alliance.org/groups/health-data.html
 
RDA Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Data Interest Group:
https://www.rd-alliance.org/groups/small-unmanned-aircraft-systems%E2%80…
 

RDA P11 session – Ethics in FAIR Data: Ethical and practical issues of data sharing and usage within and across disciplines
https://rd-alliance.org/rda-11th-plenary-joint-meeting-ig-data-developme…
 
 
Meeting objectives
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 global goals, with 169 associated targets, which came into effect in January 2016 and will continue to guide UN policy and funding until 2030. Progress on the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals requires broad collaboration within the global data community and nuanced understanding of barriers within developing infrastructures. Interoperability of data across these regions remains a barrier to collecting, storing, merging, and analyzing data for monitoring SDG metrics effectively. To address the barrier of interoperability, the collaborative on interoperability was co-convened by the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data and the UN Statistics Division as an outcome of the UN World Data Forum in January 2017. The collaborative on interoperability released “interoperability: a practitioner’s guide to joining up data in the development sector” in October 2018, which aligns directly with many of RDA’s ongoing and upcoming outputs, recommendations, interest group, and working group activities. In addition, the collaborative on interoperability is currently seeking partnerships, providing a clear window for two-way engagement with the RDA community.
 
The objective of this Interest Group joint session will be the following:
(1) Inform the RDA community of what the SDGs are, including their trans-disciplinary importance to research, policy, and community development.
 

(2) Highlight ongoing activities within the RDA and SDGs that align and provide windows for collaboration
 

(3) Engage RDA community members in next steps to address supporting the SDGs, including potential new interest groups or working groups. This will be informed by lead up conversations with relevant groups and institutions, but may include:
 

(a) Report back on “Calls to Action” stemming from P12 BoF and from UN and other institutional engagement pre P13, targeted to specific RDA WGs or IGs
 

(b) Connect RDA outputs / recommendations relevant to SDGs data needs
 

(c) Organize “Data Community” comments on SDGs reports, as appropriate
 
 
Meeting agenda
The Importance of the SDGs for RDA (35 Minutes):
 

(1) Brief Introduction
 

(2) Population Health Outcomes, Ethically Transparent Epidemiology, and SDG Capacity Building: Anthony Juehne representing the Health Data IG
 

(3) Challenges in obtaining relevant data for development: Ingvill C. Mochmann representing Data for Development IG
 

(4) Impact of emerging information technologies for the SDGs: Agriculture as Lens, Lindsay Barbieri representing the sUAS Data IG (with hopeful representative from IGAD)
 
 

Ongoing RDA activities aligning with the SDGs (35 minutes)
 

(1) RDA Adoption and SDG Capacity Building: Implementing RDA outputs, recommendations, and activities within ongoing SDG efforts: Anthony Juehne
 

(2) Improving capacity building and data collection and sharing necessary to fulfill SDGs: Ingvill C. Mochmann
 

(3) Improving data practices for emerging information and data collection technologies (sUAS for SDGs as Case Study): Lindsay Barbieri 
 
 
Q&A/Next Steps (20 minutes)
 

Address supporting the SDGs, including potential new interest groups or working groups (and may include): Report back on “Calls to Action” stemming from P12 BoF and from UN and other institutional engagement pre P13, targeted to specific RDA WGs or IGs, Connecting RDA outputs / recommendations relevant to SDGs data needs, and/or Organizing of “Data Community” comments on SDGs reports, as appropriate
 
 
Target audience
Any members of the RDA community who are interested in discussing: the recently released “interoperability: a practitioner’s guide to joining up data in the development sector” (October 2018), or other ways in which the SDGs data needs align directly with RDA’s ongoing and upcoming outputs, recommendations, interest group, and working group activities. Anyone RDA members who (as a part of IGs, WGs, or other activities) are currently seeking engagement with the SDGs.
 
Group chair serving as contact person:
Lindsay Barbieri
 
 
Type of meeting:
Working meeting
 
 
Remote Access Instructions:
coming soon
 
 

Discussion