Orodata is a Civic Technology Organization simplifying and democratizing public data by leveraging the advances in data visualization and graphical discovery analysis, and open data to tackle corruption, drive accountability, transparency and citizen inclusion. Since 2015 we have been digging deep into important issues, shining a torch on hidden insights in data and revealing trends, patterns while advocating for improved public delivery through data representation, advocacy and institution engagement.
In December 2014, while just an initiative named EDAV, we launched ‘Election Data Analytics and Visualization (EDAV), a visual listening tool to make it easier for citizen, organizations, the media and the general public to understand and share election data for actionable decision purposes. The goal of the project was to ensure a transparent process and to empower stakeholders with access to simplified and factual key components of the election process that conveyed a straight-to-the-point picture while disputing rumors and propaganda surrounding the elections.
We built on the best open source tools. We also discovered that due to increased mobile phone usage, Nigerians looked to social media amid information scarcity ahead of the election thus we began asking pertinent questions; What electoral data mattered? What information did the electorate need to access? What were they saying, why, who and what was driving what conversation? We answered these questions using data and data representation. The project reached 922,000 Nigerians at the time. We were the first to leverage and make a case for data visualization and infographics for voter education and citizen engagement towards elections.
We went back to study the results from the project, challenges and lessons. In 2016, we became ‘Orodata’. ‘Ọrọ’ means ‘word’ or ‘talk’ in Yoruba language. We began talking data about social problems.
Asides democratic projects, we have tackled corruption in security and humanitarian sector. We partnered other civic organizations and NGOs in the fight to expose Child Trafficking in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, and diversion of funds and relief items for humanitarian purposes under our IDPsTracker in 2016. The same year we dug deep into historical data from 1979 to expose trends and patterns of the conflicts known as Herdsmen and Farmers conflict in Nigeria today despite huge allocations to security votes and budget.
We have partnered with public and private sectors on other projects that hold government accountable using data, we have worked with government organizations like the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) and European Union Support to Federal Government (SUFEGOR) on Information Communication Programs for Resident Information and Communication Officers in government MDAs to communicate government policies and programs to ensure that a wide spectrum of stakeholders have access to timely Information and knowledge about government activities on a continuous basis.