The D’MADD project conducted its first stakeholder consultation workshop to establish the Climate Data Sharing Platform. The D’MADD project’s Component 3: “Digital technologies and data platform for climate resilience”, was designed to help establish a climate data sharing platform that will integrate data from different systems in use and to be developed. The platform is envisioned as the primary dashboard, analyzing data to provide a comprehensive overview of the current situation and will be used to predict scenarios. The platform will be a valuable tool for making informed decisions based on accurate and real-time data.

The workshop was designed to evaluate both technical and non-technical aspects. It aimed to create a diagnostic tool that asks targeted questions and generates scores, visualizations, and detailed recommendations.

D4D Insights, a mission-driven consulting firm dedicated to catalyzing data and technology innovations to support international development and sustainability efforts globally, facilitated the workshop.

Dr. Ibrahim Waheed, the Project Manager for the D’MADD project, delivered an inspiring keynote, highlighting the profound beauty and immense utility of shared data. He passionately conveyed how, when data is openly shared, it transforms into a powerful tool that can drive innovation, foster collaboration, and create meaningful change. He painted a vivid picture of a future where data is not just numbers but a catalyst for progress and a beacon of hope for a better climate-resilient Maldives.

Dr. Mohamed Kinaanath, the Minister of State for Homeland Security and Technology, warmly welcomed the participants and emphasized the importance of cooperation for data-sharing platforms. He highlighted the government’s commitment to leveraging technology to enhance governance, urging everyone to collaborate and contribute to this transformative initiative. His message underscored a vision of a more transparent, efficient, and innovative government driven by the power of shared data.

Ms. Anna Metz (Program Officer, Identification for Development (ID4D) Initiative) commenced the workshop with a brief presentation about the D’MADD project and added on the importance of data sharing as the Maldives Government has various data collected in the past. Based on the previous interactions with the stakeholder organizations, it was a positive note that there is a willingness to share the data, and the challenges to share the data need to be addressed, such as institutional, capacity, technical bottlenecks, and clear incentives.

Mr. Aditya Agrawal and Mr. Shivam Kishore, visiting Consultants from D4D Insights, discussed foundations for developing shared data platforms for climate action background and objectives.

Technical personnel from the government, representing the environment, statistics, health, agriculture, and fisheries sectors, participated in the workshop. They are the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy (Climate Change Department, Environment Department, Waste Management and Pollution Control, Water and Sanitation Department), Maldives Meteorological Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Utility Regulatory Authority, Maldives Marine Research Institute, National Disaster Management Authority, Maldives Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare, Health Protection Agency and National Center for Information Technology. These agencies presented the data collected and needed for their respective work areas. Agencies also discussed their current data-sharing practices, both internally and externally, and described the systems, platforms, and processes used.

The presentations also addressed the challenges faced in data collection, usage, and sharing, including issues related to governance, data quality, capacity, technology, and stakeholder collaboration.

D4D's insights on using data sharing assessment tools concluded the workshop. For the next few days, they will have one-on-one meetings with the participating agencies to understand better their climate data needs, which will be shared with the D’MADD project to implement the data sharing platform.