Data science for bridging the digital divide

We are the UK’s national institute for data science and artificial intelligence.The Institute is named in honour of Alan Turing, whose pioneering work in theoretical and applied mathematics, engineering and computing is considered to have laid the foundations for modern-day data science and artificial intelligence. The Institute’s goals are to undertake world-class research in data science and artificial intelligence, apply its research to real-world problems, driving economic impact and societal good, lead the training of a new generation of scientists, and shape the public conversation around data.Click here to join our newsletter

The Alan Turing Institute

The “digital divide” refers to the gap between those who have access to ICT, and those who do not. Understanding and bridging this digital divide, both domestically and internationally, is a complex multifaceted challenge. This workshop will offer a forum to explore challenges related to this topic, as well as how Data Science can feed into the wider debate. This workshop will bring together expertise in Internet infrastructure, social factors, policy, regulation, and economics – all with the goal of addressing the global digital divide and leveraging the positive ramifications of doing so through data-centric research.
The workshop will focus on bootstrapping a multidisciplinary community with expertise across these several domains, via a series of talks, panels and break-out sessions. Within the context of these disciplinary pillars, we will strive to explore the potential of Data Science to explain: (1) which issues and barriers exist; (2) how these barriers can be overcome; and (3) what challenges, risks and opportunities will emerge from surmounting them. We plan to identify important datasets and co-create a research roadmap that highlights key challenges, use-cases, and projects that explore the space.
<A HREF="https://www.turing.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2019-07/1billionagenda.pdf" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Agenda</A>
Day 1 will be organised into a series of sessions consisting of presentations by experts and panel-based discussions. At the end of Day 1, there will be a plenary panel exploring how we can “close the vicious circle of Internet access inequality” via the Big Data revolution. Day 2 will consist of  roundtable sessions, where we will brainstorm a research roadmap highlighting some of the key barriers that must be overcome to bridge the digital divide. We will also try to identify potential research projects that can help with this effort. 
Day 1 (10:00 - 17:00)
Presentation Session 1: The politics of cables: regulation, economics and infrastructure
<UL>
<LI CLASS="MsoNormal"><A HREF="https://manypossibilities.net/about/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Steve Song</A> (Network Startup Resource Center): “Open Telecom Data: Why greater transparency in the telecom sector is essential to the healthy evolution of the internet</LI>
<LI CLASS="MsoNormal"><A HREF="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mapbutton" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Andrew Button</A> (OfCom): “Addressing the problem: using geospatial science to unlock infrastructure intelligence”</LI>
</UL>
 Presentation Session 2: The human side: inequality, poverty and social factors”
<UL>
<LI CLASS="MsoNormal"><A HREF="https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/richard.heeks.html" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Richard Heeks</A> (University of Manchester): “Data Justice and the Next One Billion”</LI>
<LI CLASS="MsoNormal"><A HREF="https://researchictafrica.net/people/enrico-calandro/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Enrico Calandro</A> (Research ICT Africa): “After Access: Measuring digital inequalities in developing countries”</LI>
<LI CLASS="MsoNormal">Reem Talhouk "Data Driven Technologies as Experienced by Syrian Refugee Communities"</LI>
</UL>
 Presentation Session 3: “The role of innovation: understanding technology for bridging the divide”
<UL>
<LI CLASS="MsoNormal"><A HREF="http://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/network/tom-wilkinson/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Tom Wilkinson</A> (UK Department for International Development): AIID - Establishing a common data and intelligence platform for the delivery of International Aid</LI>
<LI CLASS="MsoNormal"><A HREF="http://sathiaseelan.org/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Arjuna Sathiaseelan</A> (GAIUS Networks): GAIUS: Enabling a hyper local content ecosystem for emerging markets</LI>
<LI CLASS="MsoNormal"><A HREF="https://josiahchavula.com/" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Josiah Chavula</A> (University of Cape Town): “Internet in Africa: from a macroscopic to microscopic view of performance”</LI>
</UL>
 Breakout session and closing remarks 
Day 2 (10:00 - 13:00)
Roundtable Session 1: Data Gathering and Analysis for Bridging the Digital Divide
Roundtable Session 2: Formulating Projects and a Research Roadmap of Bridging the Digital Divide

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}