The document discusses using data science and technology to help address social issues, like improving access to clean drinking water in Tanzania. It describes an organization called Taarifa that is building a platform to collect citizen reports on water infrastructure and provide analytics to help prioritize repairs. While technology can help, it also discusses the complex challenges around data quality and incentives, and that technology alone cannot solve deeper issues around governance and funding. The presentation demonstrates Taarifa's initial work mapping water points in Tanzania and engaging citizens and government to improve water access.

1. Data for Good?
Dirk Gorissen | @DirkGor
PyData London Meetup
2 Sep 2014
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

2. Why are you here?
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

3. Why are you here?
http://r4stats.com/articles/popularity/
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

4. Why are you here?
http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/jobs/uk/data%20scientist.do
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

5. Data Scientist
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

6. Data Scientist?
"Data scientist is just a sexed up
word for statistician.”
- Nate Silver
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

7. Data Scientist
http://timoelliott.com/blog/2011/10/data-analysts-data-scientists-and-the-rest-of-us.html
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

8. Data Science
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

9. Data Science
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

10. Data Science
Best question to ask if you
want to know if your date
will have sex with you on the
first date.
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

11. However…
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/03
/06/1297633/govt-aims-significant-poverty-reduction
http://blog.lisacall.com/2013/04/happy-birthday-to- www.newstarthomes.org.uk
me/
http://nimbuseco.com/2013/01/deforestati
on-and-pollution-facts/ http://www.diplomatmagazine.nl/2014/03
/02/corruption-netherlands-europe-affirmative-
2/
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/
03/22/us-arms-treaty-un-idUSBRE92L16I20130322
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

12. Data for Good
http://www.marketplace.org/topics/tech/beyond-ad-clicks-
using-big-data-social-good
kaythaney/Flickr
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

13. Data for Good
http://dssg.io/
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

14. Data for Good
http://devinit.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Data-Revolution-DI-briefing.pdf
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

15. http://www.meh.ro/2010/03/21/seriously-guys/
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

16. Its complex…
http://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/how-to-plan-when-you-dont-know-what-is-going-to-happen-redesigning-aid-for-complex-systems/
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

17. Tanzania
• ~1.5 times the size of France
• Population: ~50 million
• Life expectancy: 60.8
http://www.galdu.org/web/index.php?&odas=5591&giella
1=eng
http://gorillasofuganda.com/wp-content/
uploads/2013/06/Tanzania_Safari_Of_Tanza
nia.jpg
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

18. Open Government Partnership
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/01/remarks-president-
obama-and-president-kikwete-tanzania-joint-press-confe
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

19. OGP
• Launched by 8 nations in NYC in 2011
– Goals
• Promote transparency
• Empower citizens
• Fight corruption
• Harness new technologies
• Strengthen governance
– Independent tracking and reporting
• Big Results Now program
– Aim: become a middle income country by 2025
– Focus areas: energy, natural gas, agriculture, water,
education, transport, resources mobilization
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

20. OGP
http://opengov.go.tz/files/publications/attachments/TANZANIA_OGP_SECOND_ACTION_PLAN_2014_-
_2016-2_FINAL_213321345_sw.pdf
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

21. Water
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

22. Water Point Data
• As part of OGP goals a dataset of 75k water
points was released
– Export of the water point mapping & updating system
– Results from 2013 nationwide survey
– Constructed over the last 50 years by different
organizations & NGOs
• Data
– Excel files
– Static snapshot
– Inconsistencies & missing values
– License?
https://www.aht-group.com/cms/index.php?id=597
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

23. Water Point Data
• 2013 data estimate that only ~54% of the
water points are functional…
• This is about drinking water!
http://blog.msabi.org/2013/02/evaluationassessment-in-ulanga-district.html
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

24. Taarifa
“Building the
infrastructure of nations”
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

25. Infrastructure Reporting
• Connecting citizens with local government
– “This public toilet is broken!”
• Helping governments prioritize & track
performance
– “Which areas need most attention?”
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

26. Infrastructure Reporting
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

27. Performance Tracking & Prioritzation
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

28. Technical Stack
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

29. Taarifa In Tanzania
• Recipient of a $100k World Bank Innovation Grant
• Citizens can use web app & SMS interface to report
on water point functionality
– Help district water engineer schedule and prioritize
• Ministry can use dashboard to understand
population reach & determine strategy
• Working with local dev team in Dar Es Salaam
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

30. Demo!
http://www.toddmckimmey.com/?m=20081106
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

31. Taarifa: Status
• Successful trial in Iringa
• Recently presented to the ministry at the
Water Point Mapping Workshop
• Currently very much in development
– Hope to transition to beta over the next 4 months
– Funding local developers to build capacity and
work towards eventual handover
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

32. Outlook
• More & deeper deployments
• Continue to build out a local community
• Working on version for school & education data
• Huge impact potential
– Integrate census, health, weather data, mobile
payments, …
– Self reporting water points though sensors
– Predictive maintenance
– Budget forecasting
– Tackle water stealing & fraud
– …
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

33. Beyond ad clicks
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

34. Lessons
• Its complex
– Incentive to exaggerate problems and hide water points
• Devil is in the assumptions
– What is a water point?
• One station with multiple taps?
• Multiple stations that draw from the same source?
– When is a water point non functional?
• Water only drips out?
• There is no power so the pump does not work?
• It only works in the rainy season?
• Important as drives policy & funding
• Garbage In – Garbage Out
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

35. Lessons
• Technology is shiny but only an amplifier
– Why an elaborate updating system if…
• ...there is no cell coverage
• …the engineer has no money to pay for fuel to actually
visit and fix water points?
• …citizens have no confidence in the government to
actually fix things
– Why a shiny dashboard if…
• …you are just going to ignore it and make decisions
based on politics
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

36. Lessons
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

37. Lessons
• We are not going to solve data collection and
consistency problems
• We are not going to solve access to clean drinking
water
• We are not going to magically make governments
more transparent and efficient
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

38. Lessons
• We can help accelerate things in the right direction
http://www.dailypaul.com/302770/buckminster-fuller-call-me-trimtab
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

39. You can help too!
• Data cleaning & processing
• Data exploration
• Backend python development
• Front end development
– Angular, leaflet.js, d3.js, dc.js
• UI / UX design
• Documentation
• Website design
• SMS integration
• Mobile apps
• https://github.com/taarifa/TaarifaWaterpoints/issues
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org

40. Finally…
• Next time you flush…
…realize you are doing so with drinking water
@DirkGor | @Taarifa_org