New York – The OSDG initiative, a collaborative venture between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the European research and policy analysis center PPMI, has been recognized as one of the top 100 Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives driving progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by IRCAI. This esteemed accolade is presented annually by the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) under the umbrella of UNESCO.
OSDG, a unique partnership supported by a worldwide volunteer community, features an innovative online tool for SDG analysis and a meticulously curated dataset for Machine Learning applications. This acknowledgment highlights OSDG’s significant impact on the SDGs by uniting cutting-edge AI solutions with a committed volunteer network.
Originally designed as a rudimentary online text analysis tool for SDG monitoring, OSDG has evolved into a sophisticated resource serving users globally. Developed as a free, open-source tool by PPMI and the SDG AI Lab, OSDG can swiftly assess uploaded texts for their alignment with the 17 SDGs. This tool empowers users to conduct comprehensive SDG analyses and visually explore data from a multitude of documents in 17 languages.
Furthermore, the OSDG team has compiled a unique OSDG Community Dataset comprising 42,065 text excerpts meticulously evaluated by 2,600 dedicated volunteers to ensure perfect conformity with the SDGs. This dataset, downloaded over 4,000 times, has significantly contributed to numerous prominent academic publications. The diverse online volunteer community, including nearly 1000 Online UN Volunteers from over 50 countries, has made substantial contributions across various fields such as science, technology, healthcare, and public policy within the realm of sustainable development.
The versatility of OSDG extends to both academic and practical realms. Leading universities like University College London, University of Hong Kong, Hohenheim University, Nazarbayev University, and York University have utilized OSDG to align their educational programs and research initiatives with the SDGs. The dataset and tool have also been featured in publications covering a wide array of topics from the European Green Deal to urban resilience, computational thinking, carbon emissions, and technical papers on knowledge graphs and the RoBERTa approach.
In governmental policy formulation and national planning, OSDG has emerged as a valuable asset. For instance, the Government of Turkiye, in partnership with the SDG AI Lab, leveraged the OSDG tool to synchronize the 11th Development Plan with the SDGs. This process not only identified frequently addressed goals but also shed light on less targeted ones, providing a blueprint for nations worldwide to integrate technology for more informed policy-making.
The success of OSDG has spurred the development of new tools and research endeavors. The global UNDP team, for instance, has introduced the SDGs Push platform powered by the OSDG Community Dataset. Similarly, the dataset has been instrumental in the creation of the GIZ Policy Action Tracker and has been employed by the policy analysis startup Overton. The OSDG project ignites innovations and fosters global cooperation in the realm of SDGs.
The recognition of OSDG among the top 100 initiatives propelling the SDGs underscores the pivotal role of digital technologies and volunteerism in advancing sustainable development. The project’s global influence supports various stakeholders including academia, researchers, and governments in their pursuit of the SDGs.
