Making data talk: Reflecting on IFPRI’s experiences in data visualization

14 September 2017. In this webinar, The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) shared some examples of their data-visualization work from a variety of projects, the associated stories, and what they learned during the process.

It covered:

• What technology they use and why; 
• What audiences they aim to reach with data visualizations;
• How they track the usage/impact of data visualizations.

Presenters:

• Soonho Kim: Data Manager, Markets, Trade, and Institutions Division, IFPRI, USA
• Nilam Prasai: Data Curator, Communication and Knowledge Management Division, IFPRI, USA

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. IFPRI research produces primary datasets at the household, institutional, and country levels; countrywide social-accounting matrices; country, regional, and global spatial datasets; and value-added secondary datasets. These are all openly accessible. Yet making data and knowledge products open access alone will not ensure that we reach all our intended audiences. We must also communicate data and translate information in ways that are audience-friendly—for example, through data visualization and infographics. Such approaches are gaining more prominence at IFPRI and beyond.