_In November 2011 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the General Assembly was briefed on the progress of Global Pulse, a UN innovation initiative harnessing real-time data and new technologies to protect vulnerable populations.
The recent series of global shocks – food, fuel, and finance – have revealed a wide information gap between the onset of a global crisis and the availability of actionable information for decision makers to protect the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations. In addition, while census and household surveys serve longer term policy planning, they fail decision makers when immediate actions are required.
However, with the dawning of the Age of Big Data, a new set of opportunities arise. Digital signals about a population's well-being are being generated in real time, all across the globe. Properly analyzed, these signals could prove invaluable for those whose job it is to protect vulnerable populations.
Global Pulse asked Re:Imagine Group to be their innovation, communication and strategy advisers as they prepared for the General Assembly presentation. In addition, Peter Hirshberg and Andreas Weigend gave the keynote address at the General Assembly presentation.
