From local knowledge to global decisions: advancing inclusive data science

How do we make sure data reflects the people and places it is meant to represent? And how can cities make better decisions in an increasingly complex world? These were some of the questions explored by Dr Jessica Espey, Deputy Director (Research) at WorldPop, during recent engagements at the Royal Geographical Society Annual Conference in London and Loughborough University’s Institute of Advanced Studies.

At the RGS Annual Conference, Dr Espey delivered the Quantitative Methods Research Group keynote lecture titled Whose Numbers Count? The Contested Politics of Data in National Policy and Planning. The presentation examined how population statistics and other forms of evidence shape real-world decisions, from vaccine delivery and humanitarian response to public policy and resource allocation. Rather than treating data as neutral facts, the keynote highlighted the choices, institutions and governance systems that influence how data is collected, interpreted and used.

A key message was that improving decision-making is not only about producing better data. It is also about building trustworthy and transparent systems around that data. Dr Espey called for greater focus on the legitimacy of evidence production, stronger investment in national data systems and a clearer understanding of the trade-offs that exist between speed, accuracy, privacy and inclusion.

The conference also sparked wider conversations about inequality, technology and justice. Discussions ranged from the growing influence of digital technologies and artificial intelligence to the social and environmental impacts of data centres and other digital infrastructure.

Following the RGS Conference, Dr Espey spent several days as a Visiting Fellow at Loughborough University’s Institute of Advanced Studies, contributing to their Rethinking Urban Equalities conference. The event brought together researchers examining how digital systems can better recognise different forms of knowledge, particularly perspectives that are often overlooked by traditional data collection approaches.

As part of the programme, Dr Espey presented ideas from her paper, Toward an Inclusive Global Science Advisory System for Urban Development. The work argues that while cities are at the centre of many of the world’s biggest challenges, there is currently no coherent international system for bringing together scientific evidence to support urban decision-making at a global scale.

Central to the discussion was the importance of inclusion. Building effective science advisory systems means drawing on a wider range of evidence, from academic research and official statistics to local, Indigenous and community knowledge. By bringing together different perspectives and experiences, future decision-making systems can be more representative, more resilient and ultimately more effective.

Together, the two events highlighted the growing importance of understanding not only what data tells us, but also how it is produced, governed and applied. For WorldPop, these conversations sit at the heart of creating data that supports better decisions and more equitable outcomes for communities around the world.