Data is a Team Sport is a series of online conversations held with data literacy practitioners in mid-2017 that explores the ever evolving data literacy eco-system.

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This episode features a one on one conversation with Heather Leson, the Data Literacy Lead at International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies where her mandate includes global data advocacy, data literacy and data training programs in partnership with the 190 national societies and the 13 million volunteers. She is a past Board Member at the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (4 years), Peace Geeks (1 year), and an Advisor for MapSwipe – using gamification systems to crowdsource disaster-based satellite imagery. Previously, she worked as Social Innovation Program Manager, Qatar Computing Research Institute (Qatar Foundation) Director of Community Engagement, Ushahidi, and Community Director, Open Knowledge (School of Data).

Notes from the Conversation:

Heather talked about the need for Humanitarian organisations to lead their data projects with a ‘do no harm’ approach, and how keeping data and individual information they collect safe was paramount. During her first 10 months developing a data literacy program for the Federation, she focused on identifying internal expertise and providing opportunities for peer exchange. She has relied heavily on external knowledge, expertise and resources that have been shared amongst data literacy practitioners through participating in networks and communities such as School of Data.

Heather’s Resources

Blogs/websites

• LongReads: Moving from Real-Time Data to Real-Time Programs
• Data Maturity Framework
• The Open Organisation
• IFRC welcomes end of Ebola outbreak, renews call for investment in community-level early warning and response capacity
• ICRC and Data Protection
• ICRC Rules on Personal Data Protection

Heather’s work

• The upcoming handbook on Data Protection
• How OSM shares curriculum
• Text on Techs

The full online conversation:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq7JJE_U7sg&w=560&h=315]