Where’s the data for global public health improvement?

An recent Austin, Texas TEDx presentation by Joel Selanikio, MD, CEO of DataDyne Group ‘shining the light’ on the paucity–not the deluge–of data in global public health, and the antiquated, inefficient way health data in this setting continues to be gathered–as in multiple paper forms. Dr. Selanikio was using Palm Pilots for gathering and transmitting data in 1995 (!) when he worked for the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC). He advocates cutting out the middlemen (like surveyors, consultants) by creating cloud-based software (Magpi, formerly known as EpiSurveyor) that pushes forms to phones (even Symbian which is still quite dominant in large parts of the world) for users in the field. The rich data (perhaps not ‘big data’ yet) can be used for far better analysis: health exam documentation, crime reporting, education reporting (UK charity Camfed), questionnaires and more. Video (16:22).