Flowminder Foundation

Flowminder Foundation’s mission is to enable decision makers to access the data they need to transform the lives of vulnerable people, at scale, using mobile operator, geospatial, and survey data in low- and middle-income countries, especially in Africa. It does this through information and capacity strengthening to governments, mobile network operators, national and international agencies, and researchers. In particular, Flowminder brings two critical things to the data revolution table: analytical technology, and deep skill in brokering key partnerships across the public and private sectors. Flowminder has a long history of leveraging call data records for statistical analysis and decision making, while partnering closely with governments and private sector actors. From Ghana to Malawi to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Flowminder has unlocked the potential of this unique data source to help policymakers answer important questions in everything from the health space to the disaster-preparedness space. This grant will provide Flowminder with general operating support and comes at a time as it develops and puts in place a new organizationwide strategy, while looking to the next phase of several key projects that Hewlett has supported in the past, including Data for Good in Ghana, and the Open Algorithms (OPAL) Project in Senegal and Haiti. This grant supports the Evidence-Informed Policymaking goal that governments use new and traditional forms of data to improve decision making, policies, and programs.

Flowminder Foundation is a nonprofit organization that specializes in the analysis of anonymous mobile phone data, satellite imagery, and household survey data for humanitarian and development purposes. In partnership with Vodafone Ghana and Ghana Statistical Services (GSS), Flowminder is supporting GSS to use metrics derived from aggregated, de-identified Call Detail Records (cell phone data) in the production of national statistics and to inform evidence-based decision making in government policies and interventions. This grant advances the Evidence-Informed Policymaking goal that governments in East and West Africa make use of new and traditional forms of data to improve decision making and outcomes for people.