Data Science: A Powerful Catalyst for Cross-Sector Collaborations to Transform the Future of Global Health—Developing a New Interactive Relational Mapping Tool (Demo)

ABSTRACT

The increasingly complex and rapidly changing global health and socioeconomic landscape requires fundamentally new ways of thinking, acting, and collaborating to solve growing systems challenges. Cross-sectoral collaborations between governments, businesses, international organizations, private investors, academia, and nonprofits are essential for lasting success in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and securing a prosperous future for the health and well-being of all people (United Nations, n.d.). Our aim is to use data science and innovative technologies to map diverse stakeholders and their initiatives around SDGs and specific health targets—with particular focus on SDG 3 (Good Health & Well Being) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)—to accelerate cross-sector and multidisciplinary collaborations. Initially, the mapping tool focuses on Geneva, Switzerland as the world center of global health diplomacy with over 80 key stakeholders and influencers present. As we develop the next level pilot, we aim to build on users’ interests, with a potential focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as one of the emerging and most pressing global health issues that requires new collaborative approaches. Building on this pilot, we can later expand beyond only SDG 3 to other SDGs.

KEYWORDS:

• Data analysis
• data visualization
• impact of technology
• networked society
• sustainable development goals

Acknowledgment

We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of time, resources, and insights from the following individuals and organizations: Cassie Landers, Assistant Professor of Population and Family Health and Faculty Lead, Office of Field Practice; Ana Jiménez-Bautista, Director of Office of Field Practice at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health; Carol Liang, Caitlin Zuehlke, Jinjin Wu, Julie Kvedar, Master of Public Health students, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health; and Jeff Mohr, Cofounder and CEO of Kumu. We would specially like to thank David Hagan, International Consultant in Tech4Dev for his insights into the future direction of this tool and methodology. Support and enthusiasm from numerous participating organizations and interviewed individuals allowed us to explore more fully their needs, relational challenges, and how to address them. We greatly appreciate the invitation by the Bloomberg Data for Good Exchange 2017 to present our paper and tool on this topic.