In an effort to explore methods to utilize big data to achieve sustainable development, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and Statistics Korea have organized a forum on innovative data approaches from Wednesday to Friday in Songdo, Incheon. 

“In the information age, data is our most valuable currency,” said Kilaparti Ramakrishna, director and head of the ESCAP East and North-East Asia Office, in a press release by ESCAP on Wednesday.

“We have an opportunity to use the 2.5 quintillion bytes of data that are generated daily to help achieve the SDGs,” he added.

Ramakrishna stressed that the Asia-Pacific Roadmap, adopted in March at the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development, highlights the importance of data and statistics in achieving the SDGs.

“The roadmap emphasizes having the correct data at the right time for policymakers to plan and implement the SDGs, and to monitor and evaluate our progress over time,” he said. “New approaches and partnerships for technologies are also crucial to ensure we have the ability to capture and analyze the data.”

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)