Innovative solutions are introduced everywhere to accommodate the fast dissemination of information for development. Whether policies or economic agenda, it is people’s right to have access to information and ideas on how the government plans to operate its services. In times of national emergencies like the pandemic, it is essential that credible information is best extended to communities to inform, empower, and consolidate cooperative responses exhibiting resilient actions.

While the government invested in technology to support cost-efficient deliveries of services, there are still communities that are unreachable by development. These vulnerable communities do not have easy access to power supply, nor the privilege to enjoy the information that the central communities are enjoying. Other than radios, several numbers of locales acquire mobile phones for communication and television yet, experience difficulties in signal transmission hindering them to be informed about the innovations that the government promotes. It is evident that due to this digital divide, many of these vulnerable communities are lacking the knowledge and mechanisms to adopt changes. More when national emergencies are experienced like calamities and the prevalence of infectious diseases.

That is why, it is the right time that the City of Cauayan in partnership with DAP and DOST to convene Data Analytics Experts, Academicians, Researchers, Students, and the locals of Cauayan City to meet in an Open Data Challenge, to work with the LGU on existing datasets to come up with cleaner and more reliable data for better policies and programs.