[Responsible-digital-futures] Environmental Intelligence

[Suchith Anand]

Dear colleagues,


The Ethical Data Initiative (EDI) held its large-scale annual Town Hall
Meeting on 12 March, 2026 at the TUM Think Tank at the Technical University
of Munich (TUM). This multi-stakeholder event served as a vital touchstone
for our global community to reflect on our progress and co-create the
roadmap for the year ahead.


The event concluded with a powerful keynote from Hop Hopkins and Jane
Anderson of Local Contexts <https://localcontexts.org/>. Their work
addresses the chronic problem of digital colonialism – the historical and
ongoing extraction of indigenous knowledge without consent or
attribution.Through their innovative system of Traditional Knowledge and
Biocultural Labels and Notices, Local Contexts provides a tool for
indigenous communities to reassert their cultural authority over data
sitting in global repositories. “Colonialism is a structure, not an event,”
Professor Anderson noted, explaining how their metadata interventions (such
as those at the Library of Congress) are changing the very “plumbing” of
institutional data systems. Hopkins encouraged the audience to view this
not just as a technical fix, but as a radical social movement toward “data
back” and true reparations for the global majority.


The full video recording of the keynote presentation is available at
https://ethicaldatainitiative.org/2026/03/19/global-perspectives-on-data-justice-highlights-from-the-edi-townhall-2026/


More details of the excellent work of Local Contexts at

https://localcontexts.org

https://localcontexts.org/labels/about-the-labels/

https://localcontexts.org/films/


The EDI Townhall slides can be found on the Ethical Data Initiative Zenodo
Page <https://zenodo.org/records/19000717>


Best wishes


Suchith

On Thu, 16 Apr 2026 at 21:16, Suchith Anand  wrote:

> Dear colleagues,
>
>
> This webinar recording from GEO Work Programme might be of interest.
>
>
> The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is a partnership of more than 100
> national governments and in excess of 100 Participating Organizations that
> envisions a future where decisions and actions for the benefit of humankind
> are informed by coordinated, comprehensive and sustained Earth
> observations. Details at https://earthobservations.org
>
>
> Earth observation data, combined with Indigenous governance and local
> knowledge, is key to stronger disaster resilience, climate adaptation and
> biodiversity stewardship. During the GEO Open House Webinar, James Rattling
> Leaf from the GEO Indigenous Alliance made a powerful case for reframing
> how we think about Earth observation and who it serves. James explained how
> the GEO Indigenous Alliance connects what satellites can detect and what
> communities on the ground experience.
>
>
> Watch James's presentation to learn more about the work of the GEO
> Indigenous Alliance
> <https://earthobservations.org/groups/geo-indigenous-alliance>
>
>
> The full event recording is at
> https://earthobservations.org/about-us/events/drr-climate-biodiversity-nexus
>
>
> This article titled *“*Invest in techno capacity to avoid ‘data
> colonialism’ in AI*”* published in  University World News might be of
> interest. Details at
>
>  https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20231119194849787
>
>
> Sabina Leonelli’s new paper, published in the Harvard Data Science Review,
> sets out a powerful and timely vision for Environmental Intelligence as an
> alternative framework to dominant models of AI. One that centres human
> values, environmental stewardship, and socially responsible innovation.
> Details at
> https://ethicaldatainitiative.org/2025/12/05/beyond-bias-and-fairness-why-environmental-intelligence-is-the-next-frontier-for-ethical-data/
>
>
> Best wishes
>
>
> Suchith
>
>
> Professor Suchith Anand
>
> Professor of Practice in Science Policy | Senior Adviser to Governments
> and International Organisations | Scientist | Global Citizen | Science
> Diplomacy |  SDG Volunteer and Advocate
>
> https://spspa.exeter.ac.uk/people/profile/index.php?username=sa1131
>
> https://ethicaldatainitiative.org
>
>
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