Big Data for Resilience

Big Data is dramatically changing the way in which data is collected and processed.

It offers a new angle for development practitioners to observe, analyze and use large-scale evidence related to the impacts of shocks and stressors over time, and to inform resilience-building processes.

The rapid development and adoption of Big Data present new challenges and opportunities for resilience programming. The massive amount of data being collected both passively and opportunistically through technology requires resilience practitioners to rethink key questions that arise from the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects.

The main purpose of the Big Data for Resilience initiative is to help bridge the gap between Big Data and resilience programming. The initiative applies a new analytical lens to understand the role of Big Data in resilience building. Through the experiences of different international organizations, the initiative explores the limitations, risks and opportunities of using Big Data to build resilience, and identifies key implications for development practitioners and decision makers.