About the Event

This workshop is an invite-only event hosted by the newly created Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research (DIGHR) and the Lassonde School of Engineering (LSE) at York University. The event brings together participants from five key groups needed to solve complex humanitarian data science challenges: Humanitarian Field & Subject Matter Experts, Humanitarian Innovation Specialists, Data and Computer Science Researchers, Designers & Engineers, Data Ethicists & Governance Specialists.

The workshop will showcase and follow design-led methods for humanitarian response. This means stepping back to understand the wider problem that is being solved, validating one’s assumptions about ‘users’ and ‘the field’, as well as the initial steps of the innovation cycle, such as prototyping.

The Challenges

Humanitarian responders are producing or have access to ever more data in our operational sphere. The question we now face is how can we use this data to improve decision-making in humanitarian response? In this workshop, we will bring together humanitarian organizations, data and computer scientists, tech developers, and ethics and governance specialists to collaborate on a number of specific field-driven challenges that require novel data science-driven solutions.

Workshop Objectives

• EXPLORE: Explore operational challenges relating to data collection, management, analysis, visualization, and decision-making in humanitarian operations.
• DISCUSS: Discuss existing data science applications in the humanitarian domain and lessons learned.
• CATALYZE: Catalyze new collaborations responding to priority challenges.

Expected Outcomes

During the Workshop, participants will create high-level concepts and business plans to address the specific challenges presented by humanitarian organizations. In the following weeks and months, the DIGHR team will work closely with interested participants in the design, fundraising, and implementation process to make these solutions a reality.