Dear Friends,
As 2020 draws to a close, we take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Holiday season. In just a few months’ time, the COVID-19 crisis has brought about years of change in the way we all work together. While the digitization of our work has kept us physically distanced, it has also drawn us closer together. This year, we’ve been invited into each other’s homes during webinars and have met each other’s families and loved ones during Zoom meetings. Going digital has offered us a window into each other’s lives; it has humanized us at a time when it is what we need most.
One of the guiding overall principles of our work here at the Land Portal is that, when done right, the use of digital technologies can be a powerful equalizer. Never has this proven truer than this year.
- The sudden but unsurprising demand for the Land Portal to carry out a variety of webinars has meant that plane tickets and conference fees are no longer obstacles to participate in meaningful, high-level discussions. Online exchanges are now more inclusive, representative and diverse than ever.
- Our new data stories section has provided another innovative way to go beyond datasets. Data stories help to contextualize data, supporting evidence -based decisions, policies and interventions at a time when evidence is what is needed in order to drive change and generate impact, as well as to promote transparency and accountability. These stories can help both expert and non-expert audiences to bring data to life, and to use data in a more convincing and effective way.
- Our recent campaign on LandVoc has been one of the most successful in the Land Portal’s history. It has attracted a wide audience of researchers, as well as land right advocates who strive to make all pieces of data and information - across languages and domains - equally visible and discoverable on the world wide web for wider use.
Looking forward to the year ahead, we seek to level the playing field by offering those within the land community and beyond even more opportunities to connect virtually. We will be exploring the use of podcasts, new forms of social media as well as innovative knowledge products. Our goal is to stimulate learning, and the cross sharing of good practices. We also seek to present, package and use data and information in innovative ways; breaking barriers and supporting the land sector in achieving our common goal of tenure security for all.
We realize that the current state of the world has brought with it many constraints for us all. We therefore invite you to contribute to our mission of inclusive communications and information exchange in whatever way you can; by collaborating in our data projects, sharing our social media messaging, forwarding our digital campaigns or by donating to our mission. Most importantly, your feedback is invaluable to us and we welcome your opinions and suggestions at hello@landportal.info.
We look forward to your ongoing support in 2021!
Wishing you a safe and healthy holiday season,
The Land Portal Team