The reach and impact of the SDG Data Alliance was felt throughout the Geospatial World Forum in Rotterdam, the Netherlands last week as two SDG Data Alliance country participants, Patrick Ouedraogo from Burkina Faso and Catalina Tapia Johnson from Chile, received Rising Star Awards. 

The SDG Data Alliance continues to make strides in promoting the use of geospatial data to advance the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in developing nations. The recognition of Patrick Ouedraogo and Catalina Tapia Johnson as Rising Stars is a testament to the impact of their work and the Alliance’s efforts in creating a community-driven partnership to achieve the SDGs. The SDG Data Alliance remains committed to its mission, and the recognition of its members only reinforces the importance of its work in creating a sustainable future.

The  Geospatial World Rising Star Awards highlight Millennial and Generation Z voices that are helping reimagine geospatial data in a complex digital environment. Patrick and Catalina are perfect examples of this. Patrick is leading the technical aspects of SDG Data Hub implementation in Burkina Faso, and his work has been invaluable in ensuring that the data hub is designed in a way that helps his country make better divisions and track progress on their development goals. Catalina is part of the Chile team and is developing a geospatial country level action plan with SDG Data Alliance support. 

See related article: PVBLIC Foundation is named ‘Development Organization of the Year’ at the Geospatial World Forum

“We are happy to congratulate Patrick and Catalina on their recognition as geospatial rising stars. We are proud to have these two exceptional individuals as part of the SDG Data Alliance team,” said President of PVBLIC Foundation, Stephen Keppel. “We are also grateful to the Geospatial World leadership for highlighting important work in promoting and advancing the SDGs and sharing our vision of a sustainable future.”  

The SDG Data Alliance is an open, community-driven, multi-stakeholder partnership comprising the private sector, foundations, UN organizations, and local and national governments. The Alliance was created to bring geographic information systems, or GIS, technology and capabilities to developing nations in order to accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The founding partners are PVBLIC Foundation, Esri, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the United Nations GGIM Secretariat. 
The Geospatial World Forum is an annual gathering of geospatial professionals and leaders representing the entire ecosystem of public policies, national mapping agencies, private sector enterprises, multilateral and development organizations, scientific and academic institutions. Since 2007, the Geospatial World Leadership Awards have recognized, honored, and celebrated professional excellence, contributions, and achievements of professionals, institutions, and organizations.