SDSN TReNDS

SDSN’s Thematic Research Network on Data and Statistics (TReNDS) program was a global data research network launched in 2015, dedicated to advancing policy and technical solutions for sustainable development. SDSN concluded TReNDS at the end of 2024 in order to adapt to the evolving global development environment. This decision involved several consultations with TReNDS’ Expert Members, Co-Chairs, and SDSN leadership.

The network aimed to convene leading data actors to discuss the power and potential of data to improve equitable progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to catalyze policy change by providing new insights from a wide variety of non-governmental data sources.

Between 2015-2024, TReNDS expanded its expert membership to more than 35 leading academics and practitioners worldwide spanning the global scientific, development, public, and private sectors. The network produced several noteworthy reports, including Counting on the World (2017), Counting on the World to Act (2019), Leaving No One off the Map: A Guide for Gridded Population Data for Sustainable Development, and Testing the Assumptions of the Data Revolution. Its members and Secretariat also collaborated with many national governments and partners to promote evidence-informed approaches to data curation and management in support of the SDGs.

TReND’s final report was published in October 2024, which reflected on the network’s achievements over the past ten years and proposed ideas for the next steps.

The work of TReNDS formally concluded on December 31, 2024, and transitioned several of its initiatives to SDSN’s SDGs Today program. For updates on ongoing initiatives, visit www.sdgstoday.org or email [email protected].

Former TReNDS Co-chairs: Shaida Badiee (Open Data Watch); Laveesh Bhandari (Indicus Foundation); Robert S. Chen (Center for International Earth Science Information Network); Enrico Giovannini (Rome University ‘Tor Vergata’); Muchiri Nyaggah (Local Development Research Institute)

Former TReNDS Members: Sabina Alkire (Oxford Poverty and Human Development Institute); Lisa Bersales (Philippines’ Commission on Population and Development); Geoffrey Boulton (University of Edinburgh); Gilberto Câmara (Group on Earth Observations); Grant Cameron (Consultant and past SDSN TReNDS Director); Jillian Campbell (UN Convention on Biological Diversity); Calogero Carletto (The World Bank); Kate Crawford (AI Now); Samantha Custer (AidData); Nicolas de Cordes (Orange, France); Jessica Espey (University of Bristol and past SDSN TReNDS Director); Chukwudozie Ezigbalike (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa); Alex Fischer (Monash Sustainable Development Institute); Dilek Fraisl (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis); Xiaolan Fu (University of Oxford); Jonathan Glennie (Global Nation); Bram Govaerts (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center); Bronwyn Harch (University of Queensland); William Hoffman (World Economic Forum); Jeanne Holm (Open Data Collaboratives); Guo Huadong (Chinese Academy of Sciences); Molly Jahn (University of Wisconsin-Madison); Marc Levy (Center for International Earth Science Information Network); Emmanuel Letouzé (Data-Pop Alliance); Tom Moultrie (University of Cape Town); Virginia Murray (UK Health Security Agency); Tom Orrell (Development Gateway: An IREX Venture); Francesca Perucci (Open Data Watch); Steven Ramage (Group on Earth Observations); Barbara Ryan (World Geospatial Industry Council); Philipp Schönrock (Centro de Pensamiento Estratégico Internacional); Keith Shepherd (World Agroforestry Centre); Eduardo Sojo (NovaGob Mexico Foundation); Eric Swanson (Open Data Watch)

Former TReNDS Secretariat: Jessica Espey, Grant Cameron, Hayden Dahmm, Melika Edquist, Alyson Marks, Jay Neuner, Steph Pietras, Maryam Rabiee