Using data-driven solutions to identify areas of growth and potential risk areas that may fall behind in terms of connectivity and digital services using postal, trade, and other data.

Final presentation slides: 📎 Bridging the digital divide (PDF of original slides)

Challenge

Leveraging trade and postal data on consumer’s and provider’s electronics flows to identify tendencies and predict changes in developing digital and communication services.

Problem: Utilizing postal and trade data, we aim to develop data-driven solutions that can help identify growth and contraction areas in the digital and internet connectivity sectors. By tracking the flow of electronic goods deliveries via the postal sector, we can infer regional development trends in the internet and e-services environment. The challenge is to analyse the flow of consumer electronics deliveries to understand where these technologies are most utilized. Moreover, analysing trade data can help us identify the key suppliers and consumers of these products, providing insights into the infrastructure and digital services development trends. Leveraging this data, our aim is to generate visual representations and maps that depict the current landscape in the digital and communication services sector. Further, we seek to construct predictive models to forecast changes in these sectors' development. This will assist in identifying areas of growth and potential risk areas that may fall behind in terms of connectivity and digital services.

For: For stakeholders in the digital and telecommunication sectors, international organizations, funds, and initiatives, aiming to locate areas and regions where their efforts can be most effectively directed.

Goal: Create a solution that leverages postal and trade data on electronics flow (user’s and provider’s segment) to identify tendencies, predict changes, and consequently drive informed decisions in the digital connectivity sphere.

Potential solutions: We aim to use UPU data to obtain insights into the development of the digital and internet connectivity sectors. Participants can utilize the data collected by the ITU on ICT access, use, and affordability. The ITU's statistical database, found at https://datahub.itu.int/indicators/, provides details on ICT infrastructure development, usage, and service affordability. The UPU and Comtrade databases can also be leveraged, analysing goods with HS codes such as 851761, 851762, 851769, etc. Other open-source databases, including geospatial ones, can be incorporated as well.

Challenge Owner: Ihar Shchetko

📎 Initial presentation (PDF)