Data Science to Improve Public Policy: The Córdoba Experience

CAF -development bank of Latin America, in partnership with the Sadosky Foundation and the Social Program Information, Evaluation and Monitoring System (SIEMPRO), has launched the Hands on the Data initiative, which aims to improve the design and implementation of public policy in Argentina.

The interdisciplinary team participating in the CAF-funded project - which aims to improve public transportation in the Cordoban capital - has successfully developed a tool that couples an assortment of statistical techniques with machine learning algorithms to analyze the data generated by GPS systems located on urban buses. The ultimate goal of this tool is to permanently process the main parameters provided by the passenger transport systems in Córdoba.

The project, led by researchers at the University of Buenos Aires in collaboration with public officials, was intended to tackle three main objectives. First, to detect buses that deviate from their set route. Secondly, the team pointed out the need to identify trips whose information is recorded incorrectly, which led them to implement a function to detect them automatically. Finally, a method was developed to detect breaches in frequency allocation by transport companies.

In addition to the work done to improve Córdoba’s transport policy, Hands on the Data was also able to deploy other projects that use data science techniques to detect health issues and school dropout risks among the population, as well as identify companies that elude local laws and develop accessibility metrics in Argentine cities.

Through this unprecedented initiative carried out in partnership with the Sadosky Foundation and SIEMPRO, CAF is at the forefront of the interdisciplinary application of data science methods to generate more effective public policies in Argentina.