Cross-border data ecosystems impact on resilience: an exploratory study

Data ecosystems represent a promising avenue to support Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and resilience. Especially in fragmented settings such as cross-border regions, data ecosystems can foster data sharing and regulation among DRR actors. However, recent research has suggested that the creation and maintenance of data ecosystems is challenging. Overall, DRR actors still lack a comprehensive overview of the nature of the impact that a data ecosystem can have on its members. Despite the scarcity of cross-border data ecosystems for DRR, a comprehensive examination of their impact is necessary to support future investments. This research addresses this lack by thoroughly examining the case of the Italian French border. Through a qualitative research design, our research team has been collecting and analyzing data from observations, interviews and focus groups. Drawing on the Theory of Change (ToC), we propose a comprehensive model of the support from a cross-border data ecosystem for its members’ resilience. This research contributes to research on data ecosystem in the field of disaster management by highlighting the importance of nurturing data documentation, collaboration and trustful ties within data ecosystems.