Published 15:45 IST, January 26th 2025
Data Potential For Social Impact: ISDM Introduces DataSights Portal With Capgemini's Power
Tools like Google LN, which automatically summarize presentations, demonstrate how AI can save time and enhance productivity

Data forms the backbone of AI and analytics, but its accuracy is critical. Incomplete or incorrect data can lead to unreliable AI outputs. The journey of data science is just beginning, and platforms must evolve from offering just data to providing insights, actions, and measurable impact. Success depends on user adoption and collaboration. Partnerships with social purpose organizations (SPOs), data scientists, and funders are essential to democratize decision-making and drive meaningful outcomes.
The Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) has launched ISDM DataSights, powered by Capgemini, an open-access platform designed to address the critical data challenges faced by the social sector. The platform consolidates diverse datasets, analysis tools, and visualisations, making reliable, actionable data easily accessible to Social Purpose Organisations (SPOs).
It was launched at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, ISDM DataSights was introduced to leaders in the development and technology sectors, marking a step toward data-driven solutions for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“There is a need for a reliable data platform that brings together data from different sources and triangulates them to enhance their credibility. We need to move from headline-driven decision-making to data-driven decision making. ISDM DataSights is an example of the good that can come out of collective wisdom and collaboration to solve problems,” said Ravi Sreedharan, President and Co-founder, ISDM, in his opening plenary.
Democratizing Data for Social Change
High-quality data empowers Social Purpose Organisations (SPOs) to make informed decisions, track progress, measure success, and allocate resources effectively for maximum impact. Democratizing data for SPOs involves overcoming barriers such as interpretation challenges and lack of capacity. However, access to such data in the social sector has been limited. Datasets are often fragmented, they lack granularity and interoperability, and sometimes have disparities. This disproportionately affects grassroots organisations that do meaningful work but have fewer resources. ISDM DataSights aims to change this by democratising access to data.
ISDM DataSights addresses the challenges faced by the social sector by offering a unified, open-access platform that brings fragmented data together. The platform also empowers organisations to visualize and analyze data with ease. Users can track trends, uncover patterns, and generate insights to inform their interventions. This simplifies reporting processes and strengthens evidence-based decision-making, enabling Social Purpose Organisations (SPOs) to optimise their programmes and maximise impact.
The event concluded with a panel discussion on ‘The Relevance of Technology and Data for the Social Sector’, moderated by Dr Anand Rao, a Distinguished Service Professor of Applied Data Science and AI at Carnegie Mellon University. The panellists were Anupam Jain, Head of Engineering at Give, Saurabh Srivastava, Director, Insights & Data, Capgemini, Shahana Chattaraj, Director of Research, WRI Center for Governance and Equity at the World Resources Institute (WRI), and Sourav Das, Training Manager, J-PAL South Asia.
Learning to Use AI
A panelist highlighted the growing importance of AI and data science skills, not just for technical roles but for development organizations as well. They stress that AI should not be feared as a job-stealing technology but embraced as a tool to make existing work more efficient. Tools like Google LN, which automatically summarize presentations, demonstrate how AI can save time and enhance productivity. The speaker also mentions the importance of staying adaptable in a world of rapidly changing technology, where learning to learn is more important than mastering one specific skill.
Prompt Engineering and the Future of AI
One of the speaker introduces the concept of prompt engineering, emphasizing that knowing how to ask the right questions in AI tools is crucial. This means understanding how to guide AI to provide the most useful outputs and ensuring that humans maintain the ability to critique, suggest changes, and improve upon AI-generated results.
Updated 15:46 IST, January 26th 2025