The participants at the workshop.
Doha: Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), has hosted a workshop for data skills with a goal of ‘creating a common language’ for the ways in which data is used in humanitarian action.
The Data Skills Workshop was hosted in partnership with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Qatar Red Crescent Society and the Education Above All Foundation.
This event was held to understand common practices for the visualization, preparation and analysis of data and to create themes for its use in humanitarian action. These included practices for data related to education in crises and discussing humanitarian innovations.
“Being able to both understand the data and convey the message easily and accurately are essential skills,” Majd Abbar, QCRI’s director of business development and commercialization, said.
“Great minds have been coming together here in Doha to discuss how data can be analyzed and visualized to best achieve our humanitarian goals.”
QCRI has developed several award-winning technologies using data for humanitarian purposes. Joint research on monitoring gender gaps undertaken with Oxford and Princeton universities in 2017 won a Data2xBig Data for Gender Challenge Award from the United Nations Foundation. QCRI’s Artificial Intelligence for Digital Response technology, a joint project with UN OCHA that uses data to provide insights for humanitarian responders following emergencies, won the Grand Prize for the 2015 Open Source Software System Challenge.
The Data Skills Workshop also covered impacts and responsibilities of using data in humanitarian actions, including privacy considerations.
QCRI is one of HBKU’s three national research institutes, supporting Qatar in its drive to become a hub of computing technology, research and innovation in the region. In this capacity, the Institute often collaborates with partners to develop cutting-edge synergistic solutions that address national priorities across a myriad of industries as well as enhance the quality of life for citizens.
