ID: 1845
Presenting Author: Michelle Petigny
Session: 747 - Truth or Consequences: Data Verification Across Digital Divides
Status: pending
Learn data verification protocols across technological divides. Spot fake data from remote sites to AI reports. Hands-on practice with free tools to protect assessment integrity.
Bad data destroys good projects. Data verification is survival skill number one, whether validating reports in remote regions or detecting AI-generated assessments in capital cities. This workshop delivers context-appropriate tools through hands-on practice. We examine three contexts where misinformation threatens impact assessment: 1. Data-Scarce Environments: Learn offline verification protocols that work without the internet, building trust where extractive industries meet indigenous communities. 2. Transitional Contexts: Practice smartphone verification tools and crowd-sourced fact-checking using viral misinformation cases. Master techniques for when mobile phone rumors move faster than facts. 3. Sophisticated Environments: Experience real-time detection of fabricated data using free AI tools and simplified blockchain verification. See how advanced markets create and solve complex challenges. Throughout, we address structured data (measurements) and unstructured data (interviews, images). Core principles include ethical collection, stakeholder inclusion, validity, and bias detection. All techniques scale to available resources. The workshop features rotating specialized stations where participants gain hands-on experience with verification tools. Small groups ensure personalized attention and practical skill development. You'll leave with: verification protocols, a free tool toolkit, detection skills for structured and unstructured data, and access to a practitioner support network. The international team will guide you. Finding what works where you work is key,
Michelle Petigny is Strategy & Product Lead for AI/Blockchain at Meridian Natural Capital (USA). She designs data integrity tools for impact assessment from the field to the boardroom.
Coauthor 1: Ginny King
Coauthor 2: Susana Rosa
Coauthor 3: Mariana Carmona
Coauthor 4: Bruno Pinto