This document discusses using public intent data to improve service delivery in South Africa's eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. There are six main types of public intent data: geospatial data, citizen-generated data, censuses, sample surveys, machine-generated data, and administrative data. The document uses eThekwini as a case study, noting that most areas within the urban development line have access to free Wi-Fi hotspots provided by the municipal government, while rural areas generally do not. The municipal government plans to expand public Wi-Fi access with 450 new hotspots over the next three years to help address inequality caused by high data costs.

1. examining The use of data for development
purposes in the context of South Africa’s
eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
Data for Better Lives: A New Social Contract

2. Target audience
Communities without access to free/public Wi-Fi hotspots
eThekwini municipal government

3. The greatest lesson I have learned from the World
Bank Group’s World Development Report (WDR) -
Data for Better Lives: A New Social Contract,
chapter 2, is that “public intent data”1 can improve
service delivery, targeting, accountability, and
empowerment. Because public intent data are a
prerequisite for many government functions,
government agencies are the primary producers of
these data.
Geospatial data
Citizen-generated data
Censuses Sample surveys
Machine-generated data
Administrative data
Six types of public intent data
Data as a force for public good
1 This data is collected with the intent of serving the public good through public policy or other activities (The World Bank Group, 2021)
These kinds of data can lead to better lives through:
Improving policy making and service delivery;
Prioritizing scarce resources and targeting them
to reach marginalized populations and areas; and
Holding government accountable and empowering
individuals to make better choices through more
information and knowledge

4. Map 1: Location of eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in relation to other district
municipalities in South Africa
Data as a force for public good
In order to illustrate the power of public intent
data to improve and target service delivery, I use
the case of my home municipality, i.e., eThekwini
Metropolitan Municipality, in South Africa.
Produced by the researcher (2021), data sourced:

5. Data as a force for public good
Most areas within the urban development line have
access to free Wi-Fi hotspots2 compared to those
outside. In other words, free Wi-Fi hotspots offered
by eThekwini municipal government are not widely
available in rural areas.
eThekwini municipal government, in partnership with
Huawei, has launched a public Wi-Fi construction plan
to further build 450 public Wi-Fi hotspots in the next
three years3. The public Wi-Fi solution is also
important in terms of addressing inequality caused
by high data costs.
2 Internet access points that allow you to connect to a Wi-Fi network using your
computer, smartphone or another device while away from your home or office
network.
Map 2: Location of public/free Wi-Fi hotspots offered by the municipal
government within eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
Produced by the researcher (2021), data sourced:
3 Business Day (2021). https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/companies/telecoms-and-
technology/2021-03-12-native-ethekwini-pioneers-a-smart-city-with-free-public-wi-fi/