Interview with Ewan Oglethorpe, Data Friendly Space's Executive Director
In the ever-evolving world of humanitarian aid, a significant shift is underway. The United States-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Data Friendly Space (DFS), is leading the charge, aiming to bridge the gap between the humanitarian community and the private technology sector.
The Mission
DFS's mission is to implement Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a manner that supports and advances humanitarian goals, setting it apart from the private sector's primary focus on efficiency. The organisation emphasises collaboration with humanitarian actors to foster locally-led humanitarian action and innovation. This approach reflects an ambition to overcome traditional limitations such as funding and resource constraints, leveraging AI to enable more effective, socially impactful outcomes.
The History
Founded in 2018, DFS has been actively involved in recent projects, such as a research collaboration with the Humanitarian Leadership Academy exploring AI adoption and aspirations within the humanitarian sector. This ongoing engagement in research and practical AI deployment for humanitarian innovation is a testament to DFS's commitment to the cause.
The Tool
At the heart of DFS's work is a tool called DEEP, a natural language processing solution designed to assist analysts with routine tasks. DEEP, an open-source project available on GitHub, allows the humanitarian community to create a well-organised library for qualitative information. It supports semi-automated "human in the loop" information retrieval and extraction, addressing the challenge of manually sorting through large amounts of qualitative data using spreadsheets and possibly post-its.
The Impact
DEEP has proven particularly valuable in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It allows for the systematic extraction of information from secondary data sources and centralises legacy data for more actionable use. This streamlined approach has aided in responding to the pandemic effectively.
Moreover, DFS is committed to helping organisations with limited IT capacity or budget improve their data infrastructure and make their data more readily usable. The global aid community, particularly at the field level where humanitarian responses are occurring, needs the most support in improving digital literacy and capabilities.
The Future
DFS's work is a significant step towards a future where AI is not just a tool for efficiency but a catalyst for positive social change and a solution to long-standing challenges in humanitarian aid. With over 85 staff working in more than 10 countries as of 2021, DFS continues to expand its reach, working across six continents to connect modern data systems with the humanitarian community.
As numerous initiatives strive to create aggregated global data systems, DFS's focus on quality data remains crucial. By taming the flood of qualitative data, automating analysis and data-gathering processes, and creating welcoming data systems, DFS is paving the way for a more efficient, effective, and socially impactful humanitarian sector.
- DFS, through its AI implementation, aims to prioritize humanitarian goals over efficiency, marking a distinct departure from the private sector's practices.
- In their ongoing project with the Humanitarian Leadership Academy, DFS is researching AI adoption within the humanitarian sector, showcasing their commitment to the cause.
- DEEP, an open-source tool by DFS, assists analysts with routine tasks by automating the retrieval and extraction of qualitative information, especially useful during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- DFS is working towards a future where AI serves as a catalyst for social change, improving digital literacy and capabilities within the global aid community, particularly at the field level.
