Rapid Assessment of national planning documents using machine-based text analysis

Analyze legislation and development plans in countries worldwide to reveal their alignment with the SDG targets.

Updated by UN-OICT Analytics on October 28, 2016

Project repository

Project Objective

This project aims to develop tools for rapid assessment of national documents (e.g. infrastructure development plans, laws, development project documents) to reveal their alignment with the targets established by the sustainable development goals. Find the SDG targets on paragraph 59 of the document “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

Project deliverables

This project will result on web applications to accelerate the delivery of country assessments carried out by international agencies for development such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). See the Rapid Integrated Assessment studies which are being carried out in more than 30 countries by UNDP within the next year. Related documents:

Bhutan: Rapid Integrated Assessment.

Mauritania: Early efforts to mainstream SDGs within a new national development strategy.

However, the desk review of the documentation to prepare an integrated multi-sectoral assessment is lengthy, taking away valuable time for analysis. Ideally, the tools developed through this project will make the national documents easy to search by development topic and to provide a machine-based initial assessment of the alignment with the SDG targets.

Project Team

Fordham University’s Center for Digital Transformation

W. “RP” Raghupathi, Ph.D - Fordham University
Professor of Information Systems
Director, MS in Business Analytics Program
Director, Center for Digital Transformation
Gabelli School of Business

Prof. Yilu Zhou, PhD - Fordham University Associate Professor
Information Systems
Gabelli School of Business

This team is advised by staff members from the United Nations Development Programme who provide background as well as detailed information about their current methods for rapid integrated assessments as well as their needs to expedite their work.