A high-tech initiative helping social good projects do more with data science
Projects
United Nations World Food Programme: Meza
CAI is partnering with the UN World Food Programme’s (WFP) to build and deploy a digital solution that leverages the advancements in computer vision. Our innovative approach enables data collection in parts of the world where limitations in last-mile infrastructure render conventional solutions non-viable. The Meza system allows people in remote areas to take photos of written data and translate it to a digital format ready for analysis. Meza has been running for over a year in community health centres in Southern and Central Republic of Congo.
National Democratic Institute: Study on Online Violence against Women in Politics
In partnership with the National Democratic Institute, CAI uses Twitter data to assess the impact of online harassment on women’s online engagement with politics in Kenya, Indonesia, and Colombia. This is one of the first large-scale quantitative studies on this topic. The study results will be crucial towards evidence-based policy implementations that strive to increase female political engagement and strengthen democracies around the world.
Events
Global Progress
September 22-23, 2018
Montreal
RightsCon
May 16-18, 2018
Toronto
About CAI
CAI believes in the power of data to change the world for the better.
CAI helps organizations understand their data through concrete insights. We offer unique and customized solutions to empower leaders doing social good.
At CAI, we strive to make our process as efficient and transparent as possible. We focus on tackling pressing real-world issues that have the biggest impact. Our core belief is that data technology can and should be a key tool in the mission to make the world a better place, no matter how big your budget is. We are proud to be an agile, ambitious, and approachable organization, where a little can go a long way.
Our Team
Derek Ruths
Derek Ruths is Associate Professor of Computer Science at McGill University. He joined the faculty in 2009 after completing his PhD in Computer Science at Rice University. His ongoing work considers the problem of characterizing and predicting the large-scale dynamics of human behaviour in online social platforms. His work involves active collaborations with colleagues in the social sciences, humanities, and in industry.
Jean-Romain Roy
Jean-Romain Roy is an engineer with experience developing and implementing innovative data systems in collaboration with international NGOs, UN agencies, news media, and governments, focusing on crisis-affected areas in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. He is the primary developer and also directly manages deployments in the field.