“Living Data Hubs: People and Data in Kibera” is a collaborative project seeking to address the critical data gap found in informal communities through community data collection and training. This project will provide knowledge about how to scale up and network the Living Data Hub model to expand access to the internet, stimulate economic and educational opportunity, and elevate residents’ voices through the collection and dissemination of robust data on socio-environmental risk.
The Living Data Hubs are integrated into infrastructure within a network of four community-managed public spaces that are part of the Kibera Public Space Project. MIT, KDI, TNET, and community based organizations are working together to construct, and maintain the Living Data Hubs, promoting community stewardship of essential infrastructure while building employability of community members in a larger city with rapidly-growing tech and data science sectors.
Once established, the hubs will both collect and disseminate data through wireless access points, which connect residents to the internet and build the infrastructure for a larger network, and data sensors for collection and dissemination of data. Through bespoke installation and networking and governance training, community members build technical capacity and develop sustainability plans to maintain the network and have control of their data