2024 Year in Review and Looking Ahead

As we reflect on 2024, it has been a year of remarkable progress and impactful partnerships for D4DInsights. Our commitment to catalyzing data and technology solutions for climate resilience, sustainable development, and global impact continues to drive our work. This year, we achieved significant milestones across our portfolio, particularly with Digital Earth Pacific, the World Bank data sharing project, our collaboration with the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL), and expanding our team with exceptional talent. Below are some of our key highlights from 2024 and a glimpse into our plans for 2025 and beyond.

World Bank - Data Sharing for Climate Action Initiative

We were thrilled to start a new project partnering with the World Bank on an initiative focused on assessing country readiness on data sharing for climate action. Focused on empowering countries to leverage data for more effective climate responses, we:

• Developed an assessment framework across six key categories: Governance; Data Availability, Standards and Quality; Institutional Capacity; Digital Infrastructure; Technology and Tools; and Stakeholder Engagement. This framework provides a structured approach to evaluating a country’s readiness for implementing data sharing platforms.

• Conducted consultations in the Maldives and Sierra Leone, engaging government stakeholders to assess their readiness for data sharing. These consultations provided critical insights into the unique challenges and opportunities faced by each country in enhancing their data ecosystems.

• Partnered with Development Gateway to design and build a diagnostic tool that allows countries to assess their data sharing readiness in real time. The tool provides actionable recommendations to address gaps and strengthen data ecosystems for climate action. Currently at https://datasharing4climate.org/, while completely open source, the tool is not accessible to others just yet as we continue piloting this process with the Maldives and Sierra Leone.

  
  

• Progressed towards creating detailed roadmaps for implementing data sharing platforms in both the Maldives and Sierra Leone. These roadmaps outline step-by-step actions, including capacity building, technical infrastructure improvements, and policy enhancements, to support the effective use of shared data for climate resilience.

This work underscores D4DInsights’ commitment to fostering data-driven decision-making for climate resilience and sustainable development, with a focus on creating practical, scalable solutions that address real-world challenges.

Pacific Community - Digital Earth Pacific

2024 marked a pivotal year for Digital Earth Pacific (DEP), a program that D4DInsights has been deeply involved in since its inception. Working closely with the Pacific Community, over the course of the year, we:

• Secured nearly $3 million in funding from philanthropic and government agencies. These funding sources allowed for further growth of the SPC Team, while ensuring the next level of capability and developing of an operational infrastructure. 

• We migrated the DEP infrastructure to AWS. This transition enhances the scalability and efficiency of DEP products, including the coastlines and WOfS products. This shift provides enhanced compute capacity and data storage, ensuring that DEP can meet the increasing demand for high-quality Earth observation products​.

• We continued our progress on product development and validation procedures. The team made significant advancements in product development, particularly with the coastline product, finalizing validation procedures and executing workflows on a cloud platform. Contributions were also made to invasive species monitoring, and coastal water quality methodologies, setting the stage for further enhancements​.

• We further developed key strategies to operationalize the DEP program. These core strategies included the capacity development strategy, national workshop model, fundraising approach, and communications and outreach plans. These strategies provide a strong foundation to guide future activities and ensure alignment with regional priorities.​

• We further strengthened governance and stakeholder engagement. DEP convened multiple Steering Committee meetings to ensure alignment with country needs, SPC leadership and stakeholders. The capacity development strategy was finalized, and a national workshop model was developed to support country-level engagement, fostering high-level buy-in and capacity-building activities.​

DEP continues to serve as a vital resource for sustainable development in the Pacific, providing actionable insights for managing natural resources, responding to climate impacts, and planning for future resilience.

Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) Fellowship: Advancing Digital Public Infrastructure

In 2024, Aditya Agrawal, Founder of D4DInsights, continued his role as a  Research Fellow at the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL). This fellowship focused on the intersection between digital public infrastructure (DPI) and climate resilience, contributing to global discussions on how DPI can be leveraged to address pressing climate challenges. Key outcomes of this collaboration include:

• The development of a publication highlighting DPI’s role in catalyzing carbon removal and carbon credit initiatives.

• Recommendations on integrating data governance principles into digital transformation strategies to ensure equitable access and use of climate-related data.

• Engaging with global stakeholders through workshops and consultations, sharing insights on how DPI can support sustainable development goals, particularly in vulnerable regions.

This partnership with DIAL has positioned D4DInsights at the forefront of conversations on digital transformation for climate resilience and sustainability.

Growing Our Team: Welcoming New Talent

To support our growing portfolio, we have expanded our team with the addition of three exceptional individuals:

• Shivam Kishore has joined us to bring expertise in digital transformation, particularly in the context of global development and environmental sustainability.

• Brian Killough, with decades of experience in Earth observation and geospatial data, has joined our technical team. Brian’s insights and leadership in the field of remote sensing are enhancing our ability to deliver high-quality, actionable data products.

• Alan Hollis brings over 20 years of non-profit experience and a decade in international development. He specializes in operations and logistics and has worked across Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Alan is a Certified Associate in Project Management.

These new team members are helping us scale our efforts, bring fresh perspectives, and expand our reach across various programs and initiatives.

Looking Ahead: 2025 and Beyond

As we head into 2025, we anticipate another year of growth and impact. Digital Earth Pacific will continue its journey toward becoming a fully operational service, supporting the climate resilience of Pacific Island countries. Our work with the World Bank and Development Gateway will evolve, with the implementation of data sharing platforms and further refinement of the diagnostic tool.

We are also exploring new possibilities to expand our reach and impact, driven by a commitment to our core principles of inclusion, innovation, and sustainability. As we grow, we remain focused on our mission to leverage data and technology for meaningful change. By continuing to strengthen partnerships, improve operational capacity, and pursue opportunities aligned with our values, we aim to build a resilient and future-ready organization.

With a growing team, a solid foundation of successful projects, and a clear vision for the future, D4DInsights is poised to make 2025 a transformative year. We are confident that our work will continue to make a positive impact on communities worldwide, helping them navigate the challenges of climate change and sustainable development.

A Final Word of Gratitude

We are deeply grateful to our partners, clients, and stakeholders for their ongoing trust and collaboration. The successes of 2024 would not have been possible without their support and commitment to our shared vision.

A huge thanks to everyone at D4DInsights for their passion, creativity, and dedication to all of our projects, and many thanks to the Advisory Board for your continued contributions and wisdom supporting the future of D4DInsights.