Leveraging AI to Democratize Data-Driven Management
Webinar | Online
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Organized by:
Solstice Institute (mWater)
About the Event
AI has the potential to widen existing inequalities in evaluation, with tools built predominantly for well-resourced organizations, leaving under-resourced governments, small utilities, and community groups further behind. But applied thoughtfully, AI can also be a powerful equalizer. This webinar makes that case through both philosophy and practice.
We begin with the foundational question Glocal 2026 raises: how do we ensure AI serves evaluation's purpose rather than undermines it? For us, that means asking who gains access to rigorous, data-driven management, and who doesn't. Over 14 years building mWater and Solstice, free Digital Public Good platforms used across the developing world, we've seen firsthand where the ceiling sits for under-resourced evaluators and program managers: data tasks that require dedicated expertise, developer support, or time that most users simply don't have.
We then demonstrate how AI is breaking through that ceiling in four concrete workflows: (1) guided survey design for data collection, (2) automated integrity checks for data cleaning, (3) prose-based commands for creating complex visualizations, and (4) agentic AI for seamless integration with external data sources, requiring no developer or code. Each demonstration is grounded in real use cases from governments, utilities, and NGOs who previously lacked access to these capabilities.
Participants will leave with a clear picture of where AI genuinely adds value in evaluation workflows, where it falls short, and how to identify entry points in their own practice, regardless of technical background or organizational resources.
We begin with the foundational question Glocal 2026 raises: how do we ensure AI serves evaluation's purpose rather than undermines it? For us, that means asking who gains access to rigorous, data-driven management, and who doesn't. Over 14 years building mWater and Solstice, free Digital Public Good platforms used across the developing world, we've seen firsthand where the ceiling sits for under-resourced evaluators and program managers: data tasks that require dedicated expertise, developer support, or time that most users simply don't have.
We then demonstrate how AI is breaking through that ceiling in four concrete workflows: (1) guided survey design for data collection, (2) automated integrity checks for data cleaning, (3) prose-based commands for creating complex visualizations, and (4) agentic AI for seamless integration with external data sources, requiring no developer or code. Each demonstration is grounded in real use cases from governments, utilities, and NGOs who previously lacked access to these capabilities.
Participants will leave with a clear picture of where AI genuinely adds value in evaluation workflows, where it falls short, and how to identify entry points in their own practice, regardless of technical background or organizational resources.
Speakers
| 名称 | 标题 | Biography |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Annie Feighery | CEO & Co-Founder, Solstice Institute | Dr. Annie Feighery holds masters in public administration and international educational development, and a doctorate in health education and behavior studies. She specializes in behavior change, maternal and child survival, modernizing management systems, and data-driven public health approaches. |
摘要
AI can transform M&E from an extractive, expensive process into an integrated, accessible one. The mWater/Solstice platform demonstrates this through three key capabilities: a Global Indicator Library that ensures comparable, non-extractive data collection; an AI-powered data integrator that lets non-technical users pull data from any source without coding; and AI-assisted visualization tools that enable government officials and fieldworkers to build dashboards and charts using plain language. The core message: data-driven management no longer requires biostatisticians or developers - it can be democratized to anyone with basic computer skills.
Participants gained direct training and demonstrations on using AI within the mWater/Solstice platform to democratize data-driven management. As the platform is free and open access, participants can immediately begin leveraging these features. We also shared follow-up resources with participants to guide their use of the platform, including our Resource Center (https://portal.mwater.co/#/resource_center) and direct contact information (info@mwater.co).