Big Data for Social Good

Petabytes of data about human movements, transactions and communication patterns are being generated by everyday technologies such as mobile phones and credit cards. This unprecedented volume of information facilitates a novel set of research questions applicable to a wide range of development issues. In collaboration involving 237 mobile phone operators across 102 countries, Jana’s mobile technology platform can instantly poll and compensate 3.48 billion active mobile subscriptions. This talk will discuss how insights gained from living in Kenya became the genesis of a technology company currently working with global clients in over 50 countries, including P&G, Google, Unilever, Danone, General Mills, Nestle, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, the World Bank, and the United Nations. After providing an overview of the mobile and social media landscapes in emerging markets, we discuss a system that implements polls and mobile subscription compensation. The presentation will conclude by emphasizing the value of consumer data in underserved and understudied regions of the world.