Follow the Data Podcast

Inspired by our most recent film, Paris to Pittsburgh, National Geographic launched a new Your Shot photo assignment, calling for citizen photographers to document local climate leadership in their communities for the chance to be featured online on National Geographic’s digital platform.

This episode of the podcast features a conversation with Katie Orlinsky, National Geographic Photographer and Your Shot Editor and Katherine Oliver, of Bloomberg Philanthropies and executive producer of Paris to Pittsburgh.

As members of the American Talent Initiative (ATI) convene this week, we are re-running an episode featuring a conversation between Dan Porterfield, ATI Steering Committee member, and Howard Wolfson, head of the education program here at Bloomberg Philanthropies. At the time this episode was recorded, Dan Porterfield was the president of Franklin & Marshall College; he is now the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute.

Governments across the world are struggling to keep pace with new technologies and ever-evolving digital platforms. In the worst cases, bureaucracy is inefficient, arcane, and disconnected. In other cases, governments recognize the demand for modernization, and are stepping up to meet the need.

Estonia is a leader in the field of digital government. In a conversation between Bloomberg Philanthropies Government Innovation lead James Anderson and President of the Republic of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid, the president describes her country’s dedication to providing streamlined services, protecting citizen’s privacy, and taking proactive steps to get people the information they need.

Becky Bavinger of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Health team spoke to two partners about vehicle safety. They discuss the importance of raising awareness, consumer demand, and putting pressure on the industry.

Valentina Ochoa is the Executive Director of Refleacciona con Responsabilidad, an organization working to improve public space in Mexico. Alejandro “Alex” Furas is the Secretary General of the Latin New Car Assessment Programme, which works to advance vehicle safety in Latin America by advocating for more government regulation, testing vehicles new to the market, and publishing crash tests results.

In part two of a two-part episode, Follow the Data features a conversation between Dr. Steve Box, Vice President of Fish Forever at Rare and Melissa Wright of Bloomberg Philanthropies Environment team.

Rare is one of Bloomberg Philanthropies Vibrant Oceans Initiative partners, specializing in local fishing reforms, targeting some of the 12 million small-scale fishers that operate 15km from shore. Rare’s Fish Forever program will continue to encourage community-led solutions to revitalize marine habitats, regenerate fish populations and help coastal communities reimagine their future.

Without action, road traffic crashes will become the seventh leading cause of death by 2030.

That’s why the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety has dedicated $259 million over 12 years to implement interventions that have been proven to reduce road traffic fatalities and injuries in low- and middle-income countries. Kelly Larson of Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Health team spoke to two partners about their efforts in Fortaleza and in other cities.

Luis Sabóia is the Executive Secretary for the Department of Public Services in Fortaleza – where road traffic deaths dropped 32 percent from 2014 to 2017.

Skye Duncan is the Director of the Global Designing Cities Initiative at the National Association of City Transportation Officials, known as NACTO. She has been leading a multi-year program to develop the new Global Street Design Guide and to provide technical assistance to cities around the world on safe and sustainable street design, including São Paulo and Fortaleza in Brazil, Bogotá in Colombia, Mumbai in India, and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.

The Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP) competition was launched by Bloomberg Philanthropies at the March 2018 World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Cape Town, South Africa. The winning partners have decades of experience thwarting the international tobacco industry’s most duplicitous tactics.

Professor Anna Gilmore, director of the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath spoke to Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Health program lead, Dr. Kelly Henning. They discuss the importance of shedding light on tobacco industry tactics, collaborating with STOP partners, and data’s essential role in the fight against misinformation.

In August of 2011, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg addressed a group of nonprofit and community leaders as he announced the launch of a landmark approach to tackling persistent problems facing young black and Latino men: The Young Men’s Initiative.

At Bloomberg Philanthropies, we are dedicated to “following the data” — and the data on gun violence could not be more compelling or urgent. Americans are 25 times more likely to be murdered with a gun than people in other developed countries. Every day, 96 Americans are killed by gun violence. And every year, approximately three million American children bear witness to gun violence.

In 2014, in an effort to combat the National Rifle Association, Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action joined forces to create Everytown for Gun Safety. Today, Everytown has more than 5 million supporters across America.

In this episode, Katherine Oliver of Bloomberg Philanthropies speaks with John Feinblatt, President of Everytown. They discuss Everytown’s tireless work fighting gun violence, how they use data to inform change, the future of gun safety in America, and the national movement to end gun violence.

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Vibrant Oceans Initiative is the largest philanthropic commitment to internationally reform small-scale fisheries management. One of our partners, Rare, specializes in local fishing reforms, targeting some of the 12 million small-scale fishers that operate 15km from shore.

In part one of a two-part conversation on Follow the Data, Dr. Box and Melissa Wright, of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Environment team discuss small-scale fisheries. They dive into the results of Rare’s recent Fish Forever review, define good fishery practice, and explore the relationship between data and biology.