Pangeo Showcase Talk by Isa Elegbede at Lagos State University, Nigeria/ Geo Blue Planet, Switzerland; TGER/CEESP/IUCN, Switzerland
BIo
Dr. Isa Olalekan Elegbede (Ph.D.) has a diverse background and experiences in blue economy, data innovations and management, data inclusion, citizen science, and open research. He earned his PhD in environmental science, concentrating in ocean and coastal resource sustainability, at Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) in Germany. He is an adjunct professor at the National Open University of Nigeria’s Department of Environmental Sciences. He is also a full-time academic at Lagos State University’s fisheries department in Lagos, Nigeria. He formerly taught marine sustainability at Germany’s Brandenburg Universität of Technology (BTU). He is also a co-chair of the GEO BON blue planet fisheries working group, the IUCN/CEESP/TGER, Switzerland, and a Future Planet Coast fellow (FEC). He also serves as a member of the Central and South Atlantic Regional Scientific Research Working Group, which coordinates regional deep-sea research. And a member of the fisheries - DOSI - Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative. He was a visiting fellow and Scholar of the Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI) and the Robin Rigby Trust (RRT) at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, where he contributed to the university’s teaching, research, and capacity-building efforts. As a diaspora specialist for the German government’s Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the German Federal Employment Agency, he has dedicated to knowledge transmission throughout Africa. Numerous prizes and grants have been bestowed upon him. Isa has served in a variety of international roles and collaborative projects in support of numerous SDGs targets throughout the world. He graduated from the graduate oceanography programs at the Sao Paulo School of Advanced Sciences in Brazil and is an honorary member of the Indigenous and community conserved areas (ICCAs) in Switzerland.
Abstract
It is critical that the contributions of the global south to science be recognized and that its researchers have access to cutting-edge resources. In today’s world, promoting open, reproducible, and scalable science necessitates data inclusivity. Yet, ensuring data is available to everybody and satisfying user demands in the global south may be tough. We will look at a variety of methods for encouraging open science in developing countries and ensuring data accessibility in the global south during this discussion. It explores the hurdles to data inclusion, such as restricted access to high-speed internet and poor digital literacy, and considers solutions to remove these barriers, such as providing low-cost internet access, delivering training programs, and investing in infrastructure and finance. The seminar also discusses approaches to meet consumer desires in the global south, such as communicating with communities and using technology such as mobile devices. Lastly, it evaluates the advantages of supporting open science and investigates alternative tactics to accomplish it, such as developing inclusion councils and fostering a feeling of belonging within the community. The conclusion underscores the significance of data inclusion and open research for supporting equitable access to information and sustainable development in the global south.