Big Data as Climate Change Intervention: A Policy Delphi Study on Data Analytics Maturity Within the Climate Action Ecosystem

Abstract

The effects of climate change are being felt now and continues to be one of the most urgent issues facing the world particularly for developing nations such as the Philippines. Despite the significant measures being taken to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, some degree of climate change will remain and cause considerable economic, social, and environmental impacts. Individuals, communities, and organizations need to take action to prepare for and adjust to the current effects cf climate change as well as the predicted impacts in the future. Climate change adaptation is an emerging area of study. Adaptation is essential to alleviate the inevitable damages brought about by climate change. Data analytics can provide organizations the ability to anticipate a range of potential climate conditions, enabling them to take action before the worst impacts happen. This research aimed to contribute to the development of an analytics maturity framework relevant to development programs and institutions focused on climate change. This demands an understanding of the epistemological challenges presented by big data and the existing knowledge in the area of data and analytics. A Policy Delphi was organized involving experts from the academe, data analytics and climate sectors comprising three Delphi rounds. The Delphi method was used to construct consensus views and forecasts from the panel of experts in an iterative manner which enabled the identification of important dimensions of a data-driven climate action ecosystem. This research adopted the cybernetics stance that conceptualizes big data as a complex system where the interacting elements, whether living or nonliving, macro or micro, influence one another and are able to function, and why they often malfunction. The analytics maturity framework discussed in this dissertation could potentially help uncover important variables, patterns, challenges, and opportunities in the data and analytics processes of climate communities which could create and promote an ecosystem that enables insight and action.