How WFP and Netlight transform real-life data into insights on global displacement and crisis response

WFP Innovation Accelerator
6 min readDec 13, 2024

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By Erik Sedin & Julia Dalibor

What happens when a humanitarian organization and a tech company unite to tackle some of today’s most pressing challenges? Since 2020, the World Food Programme (WFP) has partnered with Netlight through the WFP Innovation Accelerator, combining expertise from humanitarian fields, innovation and technology to drive impactful change. The goal: harness data and analytics to transform how humanitarian aid reaches those in need.

In the spring of 2023, the collaboration took on a new dimension. Netlight consultants envisioned an advanced digital map — one that would provide live, real-world insights on global displacement and conflict, offering WFP a powerful tool to support vulnerable communities worldwide. Today, this vision has taken shape as Displacement Watch, an analytics platform that aims to help WFP respond more effectively to crises and support millions of displaced people across the globe.

Displacement Watch: A new tool aimed at understanding global crises

Displacement Watch is a centralized analytics platform that reimagines how displacement data is accessed and understood by humanitarians. Developed to assist WFP’s analysts and country operations, this tool provides critical insights into the needs of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) — those forced to flee within their own countries due to conflict or natural disasters.

The platform’s interactive global map overlays information on ongoing conflicts with data on displacement and its drivers, offering an intuitive overview of global hotspots. Analysts can easily identify the countries with the highest number of displaced people, as well as those experiencing the most significant shifts in displacement patterns. Currently, areas such as South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo are of particular concern and WFP is actively engaged in response activities on the ground.

With a clear focus on data transparency, Displacement Watch enables analysts to filter information by region and timeframe, aiming to support informed decisions on resource allocation and aiding the global fight against hunger. The tool also provides insights into violent event types, such as violence against civilians or battles, offering a comprehensive global overview of crises. Each data point is clearly labeled with its source, ensuring quality and allowing for verification.

Real-time insights with trusted data sources

Displacement Watch relies on data from two primary sources to keep its map continuously updated:

  1. IDMC (Internal Displacement Monitoring Center): As a leading authority on internal displacement, IDMC provides critical data and analysis through its Internal Displacement Updates (IDU), which offer timely insights. These updates complement IDMC’s yearly country-wide figures, which are published with a significant time lag. IDMC sources information from government agencies, UN organizations like OCHA and UNHCR, local media and non-governmental armed groups.
  2. ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data): This independent, non-profit organization compiles data on violent conflict and protests worldwide. ACLED’s researchers analyze thousands of sources each week in dozens of languages, building one of the most comprehensive databases on violent events available.

Integrating these diverse data streams posed technical challenges and required significant technical guidance from WFP’s conflict analysts. Close collaboration with end-users proved essential in overcoming these obstacles. While the current version of Displacement Watch is functional and intuitive, there is still room for improvement. Extensive feedback has been provided by WFP and Netlight is actively exploring ways to incorporate these suggestions into the collaboration. Discussions are also underway regarding how best to migrate the information to WFP’s internal platforms in the future to expand the potential use base.

“Having a one-stop-shop where to access the latest information on displacement supports us in anticipating where humanitarian needs are likely to increase and in planning for more timely humanitarian assistance,” says Anja Palm, conflict analyst at the World Food Programme.

From concept to reality

The development of Displacement Watch was made possible through a unique collaboration between WFP’s Frontier Innovations team, WFP conflict analysts, Netlight consultants and academic partners.

The idea for Displacement Watch originated at the ‘For the World’ Netlight Summit in May 2023, where a global hackathon, co-hosted by Netlight and WFP, brought together 1,200 Netlight employees to brainstorm solutions to support the cause of ending world hunger. Out of 176 project proposals, Displacement Watch (initially called Hunger Watch) emerged as the winning idea. WFP’s Frontier Innovations team identified its potential early on, aligning Netlight’s technical expertise with WFP’s operational needs, connecting stakeholders and facilitating multiple iterations to refine the tool for field teams. The collaboration also drew on the insights of WFP conflict analysts to ensure the design reflected the realities of humanitarian response.

Over the past year, the tool has evolved through three prototype versions to reach its current state as Displacement Watch 2.0. Throughout the project, three product owners and around ten developers from Netlight have been deeply involved, with invaluable support from a dedicated team of coaches and mentors.

The project’s success is also attributed to the significant contributions from students at the University of Augsburg, who collaborated with Netlight for four months to build three prototypes. Working closely with the WFP’s Analysis & Early Warning unit in Rome, these students gained real-world experience while helping shape a tool that meets the specific needs of WFP end-users.

“This collaboration with WFP and the University of Augsburg perfectly represents what we seek in a partnership. We genuinely care about impactful projects and believe that sharing our talent and involving our network fosters pride — and most importantly, creates a greater impact,” says Moritz Traenkner Tuborgh, partner at Netlight.

Where we stand and what’s ahead

Displacement Watch is currently in its testing phase, running from July to December 2024. During this period, various WFP teams are using the tool and providing feedback, gathered from around seven users across different domains. This input is essential for refining the platform and will guide decisions on its next steps, ensuring it meets the needs of those on the front lines of humanitarian aid.

Following this testing phase, the Displacement Watch team aims to integrate additional data sources and explore partnerships that could further enhance the tool’s capabilities. The long-term vision includes deploying Displacement Watch across other WFP divisions and expanding its scope to support even more humanitarian efforts worldwide.

Netlight is an international digital consulting firm, helping leading companies to succeed in the digital landscape, from advice to implementation. Our service contains the collective intelligence of 2000 consultants offering a comprehensive range of digital services, from strategy to technology. We support industries that are facing new challenges and opportunities based on new technology, to make better business. Netlight has been awarded several times for profitable growth and management, as a top employer, and for our engagement in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Located in Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Zurich, Cologne, Amsterdam and Toronto. Co-creating the future today, since 1999.

The WFP Innovation Accelerator sources, supports and scales high-potential solutions to end hunger worldwide. We provide WFP colleagues, entrepreneurs, start-ups, companies, and non-governmental organisations with access to funding, mentorship, hands-on support, and WFP’s global operations.

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WFP Innovation Accelerator
WFP Innovation Accelerator

Written by WFP Innovation Accelerator

Sourcing, supporting and scaling high-impact innovations to disrupt hunger.

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