Join us for MERL Tech DC, Sept 5-6th!
MERL Tech DC: Taking Stock
September 5-6, 2019
FHI 360 Academy Hall, 8th Floor
1825 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20009
We gathered at the first MERL Tech Conference in 2014 to discuss how technology was enabling the field of monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL). Since then, rapid advances in technology and data have altered how most MERL practitioners conceive of and carry out their work. New media and ICTs have permeated the field to the point where most of us can’t imagine conducting MERL without the aid of digital devices and digital data.
The rosy picture of the digital data revolution and an expanded capacity for decision-making based on digital data and ICTs has been clouded, however, with legitimate questions about how new technologies, devices, and platforms — and the data they generate — can lead to unintended negative consequences or be used to harm individuals, groups and societies.
Join us in Washington, DC, on September 5-6 for this year’s MERL Tech Conference where we’ll be taking stock of changes in the space since 2014; showcasing promising technologies, ideas and case studies; sharing learning and challenges; debating ideas and approaches; and sketching out a vision for an ideal MERL future and the steps we need to take to get there.
Conference strands:
Tech and traditional MERL: How is digital technology enabling us to do what we’ve always done, but better (consultation, design, community engagement, data collection and analysis, databases, feedback, knowledge management)? What case studies can be shared to help the wider sector learn and grow? What kinks do we still need to work out? What evidence base exists that can support us to identify good practices? What lessons have we learned? How can we share these lessons and/or skills with the wider community?
Data, data, and more data: How are new forms and sources of data allowing MERL practitioners to enhance their work? How are MERL Practitioners using online platforms, big data, digitized administrative data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, sensors, drones? What does that mean for the ways that we conduct MERL and for who conducts MERL? What concerns are there about how these new forms and sources of data are being used and how can we address them? What evidence shows that these new forms and sources of data are improving MERL (or not improving MERL)? What good practices can inform how we use new forms and sources of data? What skills can be strengthened and shared with the wider MERL community to achieve more with data?
Emerging tools and approaches: What can we do now that we’ve never done before? What new tools and approaches are enabling MERL practitioners to go the extra mile? Is there a use case for blockchain? What about facial recognition and sentiment analysis in MERL? What are the capabilities of these tools and approaches? What early cases or evidence is there to indicate their promise? What ideas are taking shape that should be tried and tested in the sector? What skills can be shared to enable others to explore these tools and approaches? What are the ethical implications of some of these emerging technological capabilities?
The Future of MERL: Where should we be going and what should the future of MERL look like? What does the state of the sector, of digital data, of technology, and of the world in which we live mean for an ideal future for the MERL sector? Where do we need to build stronger bridges for improved MERL? How should we partner and with whom? Where should investments be taking place to enhance MERL practices, skills and capacities? How will we continue to improve local ownership, diversity, inclusion and ethics in technology-enabled MERL? What wider changes need to happen in the sector to enable responsible, effective, inclusive and modern MERL?
Cross-cutting themes include diversity, inclusion, ethics and responsible data, and bridge-building across disciplines.
Submit your session ideas, register to attend the conference, or reserve a demo table for MERL Tech DC now!
You’ll join some of the brightest minds working on MERL across a wide range of disciplines – evaluators, development and humanitarian MERL practitioners, small and large non-profit organizations, government and foundations, data scientists and analysts, consulting firms and contractors, technology developers, and data ethicists – for 2 days of in-depth sharing and exploration of what’s been happening across this multidisciplinary field and where we should be heading.
