Global Health Data: An Unfinished Agenda

Abstract

AbouZahr and Macfarlane describe the relationships between local and global contributors to global health data and methods. Their definition of global health data draws attention to the roles of multiple stakeholders and how they influence the data implications of global health priorities and agreements, such as the Sustainable Development Goals. Looking to the future, the authors assess the potential of information technology and data science to level the playing field between data-and technology-rich settings and less-rich counterparts. They draw lessons from preceding chapters, focussing on the importance of strong governance and ethical frameworks, long-term investment in institutional capacity development in low-and middle-income countries, and greatly improved collaboration and cooperation across sectors, stakeholders, countries and development agencies.