Proliferation of data

The proliferation of data in recent decades at exponential rates is well documented, with 90% of all data being produced in the last two years (2015-17).³⁹ By 2025 30% of data is expected to be generated in real-time.⁴⁰

It’s vital that local governments position themselves front and centre of this debate surrounding data. They must be a driving force for coordination, sharing and governance of territorial data. As responsible for populations that will produce vast amounts of data (urban areas), it is important for local governments to harness the data generated through activities in urban areas, provide standards and know how to analyse it.

“Only 0.5% of the data generated is being analysed. Although this situation may be improving, it demonstrates the huge gap in knowledge about what data we are collecting means, and what decisions it should encourage.”

Data, information and knowledge, and their flow around the world is not equal; governments need to have the capacity to generate data that can be used locally. Digital infrastructure has historically not supported local or regional needs of states in Africa, with datasets often being from different geographies and the predominant language used on web pages, for example, being Western.

Such initiatives as the Cities’ Coalition for Digital Rights https://citiesfordigitalrights.org/ fights for the protection of human rights on the internet at the local and global levels. Launched in 2019, their declaration is signed by 42 cities already and promotes local governments’ action to protect, promote and monitor residents’ and visitors’ digital rights. The concern regarding technology’s role to both increase freedom and security and that can be experienced by all is still lacking from most African local authorities’ agenda.