Dealing with the Challenges of Data Collection in the Context of Recent Conflicts

3877 

Late-Breaking Session 

James Cochran (1), Mulugeta Gebregziabher (2), James Cochran (1), Mulugeta Gebregziabher (2), Xiao Hui Tai (3), Abraham Flaxman (4), Michael Baiocchi (4)

(1) University of Alabama, N/A, (2) Medical University of South Carolina, N/A, (3) University Of California, Davis, United States, (4) N/A, N/A

James Cochran  
University of Alabama

Mulugeta Gebregziabher  
Medical University of South Carolina

James Cochran  
University of Alabama

Mulugeta Gebregziabher  
Medical University of South Carolina

Xiao Hui Tai  
University Of California, Davis

Abraham Flaxman  
N/A

Michael Baiocchi  
N/A

Collecting reliable and verifiably accurate data is almost always challenging, but the challenges are far greater when attempting to do so in the context of some conflict. The session features colleagues who will discuss their efforts to collect quality data from conflicts in regions that include Tigray, Kenya, and Afghanistan. Each talk will include a discussion about the purpose of/motivation for attempting to collect data in their respective conflicts, the challenges they faced in these data collection efforts, and the strategies they developed and used for overcoming these difficulties. This session is timely because i) each of the conflicts is current and has recently been hot, ii) the incidence of regional conflicts has increased over the past few years, and iii) statisticians are being called on far more frequently to document conditions and contribute to relief and resolution efforts in conflict regions. Furthermore, this topic squarely supports the theme of the 2024 Joint Statistical meetings (Statistics and Data Science: Informing Policy and Countering Misinformation). Those attending the session will learn about ways to overcome challenges in data collection under the difficult conditions of war (and hopefully under less stressful and challenging conditions).