Session
Digital Divides & Inclusion
Affordable Access
Digital, Media, and Information Literacy
Skills Building for Basic and Advanced Technologies (Meaningful Access)
Organizer 1: Artur Coimbra de Oliveira, Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (ANATEL)
Organizer 2: Sergio X. Plaza, Wayfree
Organizer 3: Francisco Pérez, EFTS Group, S.A. de C.V.
Organizer 4: Isaias MUANAMBANE , INCM
Organizer 5: Claudia Esmael, INCM
Organizer 6: Luis Guillermo Alarcon Lopez, IDB
Speaker 1: Artur Coimbra de Oliveira, Government, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Michelle Ramírez, Private Sector, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 3: Luis Guillermo Alarcon Lopez, Intergovernmental Organization, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 4: Isaias MUANAMBANE , Government, African Group
Speaker 5: Thelma QUAYE, Intergovernmental Organization, African Group
Alexandre Barbosa, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
RENATA SANTOYO, Government, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Luciano Charlita de Freitas, Government, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Panel - 90 Min
1. Whenever allocating resources to connect its population policymakers would deal with an allocative problem. How to increase the precision of the measurement of the digital gap in developing nations?
2. Several developing nations lack accurate, complete, and timely data for evaluating the connectivity gap. Are the crowdsourcing sources data and those from the “Data for Good” project useful for identifying and quantifying the demand and size of the digital gap in developing nations?
3. How the digital mapping is able to enhance internet governance, reduce inequalities and improve the lives of unconnected communities?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants of this session will get knowledge of a digital mapping methodology designed for the specific purpose of identifying digital gaps in developing nations. It takes into consideration large volumes of crowdsourcing and georeferenced data to identify digital gaps.
The methodology is all set up on datasets publicly available from different sources such Data-for-Good projects and official local statistics. The method explains how to cross-validate the data to deliver an accurate overview of the digital gap.
Two case applications for Brazil and Mozambique will allow participants to understand the mechanism and have insights into how to assemble and analyze data and how it could be replicated in other nations.
This method will allow policymakers from developing nations to prioritize the areas of public intervention, optimize resources, and finally establish the bases for reviewing policies, and regulatory frameworks, and foster investment in the digital infrastructure projects.
Description:
The Panel puts together regulators, policymakers, academics, and technicians to explore the possibilities of data analysis techniques to map the digital gap in developing countries. The debate will start with an objective and already implemented case study for Brazil and a demonstration of a methodology setup designed to fit the context of developing nations. Afterward, it will be demonstrated the application of the method to the case study of Mozambique and the disclosure of the first open-to-public results of the experiment.
One step towards shortening the connectivity gap deals with quality data availability. Accurate, complete, and timely data allows identifying unconnected areas and estimating demand, and potential service suppliers, and evaluating the economic impact of connectivity. These references are key drivers for efficient digital policy design and public intervention.
Invited and already confirmed speakers from Latin America and Africa will share their viewpoints about the challenges and benefits of identifieying the connectivity gap in developing countries. One of the expected outcomes of this session will be to deliver a comprehensive recommendation to the 2024´s Summit of the Future Global Digital Compact to consider the use of applied data analytics tools as a mechanism for collecting evidences of connectivity in developing nations and raising public awareness about the need of further public data on the topic.
The Panel is designed by a multi-gender, multi-national team of researchers and regulators from Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, Ruanda, and Mozambique that devoted months of cooperative hard work towards the common purpose of expanding the possibilities of low-cost digital mapping and data analysis to design a methodology setup that fits the challenges and idiosyncrasies of developing nations.
To share the views of stakeholders on the benefits of evidence-based decision-making toward digital gap shortening.
To demonstrate a methodology for digital mapping.
To demonstrate with a practical example the use of the method for (a) evaluation of the Connectivity Offer (Coverage, Quality, and Competition) in a developing country, (b) the location of the digital divide (consumption, demand generators, affordability), and (c) to suggest which mix of infrastructure deployment might better fit the local demand.
To deliver a recommendation to the 2024´s Summit of Global Digital Compact to consider the use of applied data analytics tools as a mechanism for collecting evidence of connectivity in developing nations and to raise public awareness about the need for further public data on the topic.
Hybrid Format: The team organizers have extensive experience in managing hybrid panels with international audiences and in engaging participants from different backgrounds to work together and find common ground on complex issues. Besides that, an hybrid session as proposed will allow to join together onsite and online experts to discuss a topic of world-scale importance.