Project Syndicate: The Data Revolution for Sustainable Development
Jeffrey D. Sachs, professor and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, and special adviser to the U.N. secretary general on the Millennium Development Goals; Shaida Badiee, managing director and co-founder of Open Data Watch; Robert Chen, director of the Center for International Earth Science Information Network; and Enrico Giovannini, professor at the University of Rome Tor Vergata

“…[M]easuring progress at frequent intervals, and publicizing the successes and shortfalls, is vital to keeping the world on track to meet its ambitious long-term [development] targets. Doing so would not only enable us to reward governments that are fostering progress; it would also keep laggard governments accountable for their weak performance and, one hopes, motivate them to redouble their efforts. … The new [‘Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data’] aims to strengthen data collection and monitoring efforts by raising more funds, encouraging knowledge-sharing, addressing key barriers to access and use of data, and identifying new big-data strategies to upgrade the world’s statistical systems. … We are delighted to be chairing this network … We firmly believe the data revolution can be a revolution for sustainable development, and we welcome partners from around the world to join us” (9/18).