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Consultant Vacancy: Africa Data Collection, Integration and Harmonisation project for the Transport Data Commons Initiative (TDCI): Deadline: 23 September 2024

Project Background 

In most LMICs, transport data is difficult to access, of poor quality or simply not collected. A lack of data makes it very difficult to build policy, project plans, and investment pipelines towards sustainable transport systems that promote equitable access to opportunities, education, healthcare and much more. 

The Transport Data Commons Initiative (TDCI) is a pioneering multi-stakeholder forum committed to enhancing the transport sector’s alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our mission is to improve access, sharing and analysis of transportation data for a more sustainable future by establishing an open data platform for transport, the Transport Data Commons Initiative (TDCI). This will include linking the transport sector’s performance to the parameters and indicators outlined in Sum4All’s Global Tracking Framework.  

So far, the TDCI has brought together more than 30 international partners working on transport data. The proposed project intends to use the basic TDCI data infrastructure (Figure 1) to support the development of data pipelines that connect particular new sources, in order to address real-world data needs; in the process, providing an early example of the TDCI concepts in action. 

Objective 

The TDCI aims to address gaps in the transport data landscape, providing countries with the necessary data and tools to i) compile and report their transport sector emissions and ii) develop transport sector analytical tools to support pathways towards clean and equitable transport futures.  

The objective of this specific project is to complement the ongoing development of the data infrastructure (Figure 1) by conducting a data collection, integration and harmonisation exercise to identify available data and remedy existing data gaps in transport in four focus countries in Africa: Kenya, Ghana, Zambia and Malawi. This work will leverage data that are collected for different purposes (eg road safety, vehicle stock characteristics, economic performance, energy security, GHG emissions and other development aspects) and, due to their nature and subject/topic, are also relevant to the production of Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) under the UNFCCC’s Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF). The data to be collected will be informed by the ongoing Asia Data Needs Assessment project as part of the TDCI, funded by GIZ. 

Figure 1. Schematic showing data flows in TDC using CKAN-based data infrastructure 

Specifically, this involves: 

  1. ​​​​​​​​​Scouting transport data collected for different purposes (eg road safety, economic performance, vehicle stock characteristics, energy security, GHG emissions and other development aspects) and, due to their nature and subject/topic, that are also relevant for the production of BTRs under the ETF​​ 
  2. Scouting of available sources (including CCG Transport Starter Data Kits) and associated metadata relevant to the transport data above
  3. Identification of data gaps that are evident in those sources 
  4. Collection of data to fill those data gaps (The expectation is that this exercise would lead to significant expansion in data relative to what is currently available in the CCG Transport Starter Data Kits)  
  5. Harmonisation and standardisation of the collected data such that it can be uploaded to the TDCI (using TDCI-tools).  
  6. The activities (1-5) will be completed for four focus African countries: ​​​​​​​​Kenya, Ghana, Zambia and Malawi. The choice of these countries reflects the active CCG African partner country network and represents a diverse set of data availabilities, economies and geographies. 

Scope of Work and Outputs 

Table 1 shows a suggested work breakdown with a description of each task within the scope of work, an indicative percentage of the total effort, and the accompanying outputs that must be presented in order for that part of the work to be deemed complete. Though Table 1 should be helpful in preparing a bid, the bidder is free to suggest their own work breakdown in fulfilling the objectives of this project.  

Table 1. Scope of work / work breakdown structure 

Work package Description Indicative % of total effort Outputs 
Data Availability and Gaps Assessment    The data availability and gaps assessment consists of the assessment of the availability and accessibility of transport data in the focus countries. It will also involve a data owner mapping that indicates in which domain data is available (open, restricted, commercial, etc) and shows where the data originates. The activity will involve research and consultations with national administrative entities and ​​​​other local and international actors, including development agencies and industry associations. 20% Concise report detailing assessment of availability and gaps of transport data in the four focus countries. 
Data Collection    ​​​The data collection will comprise activities that i) collate data that is currently available, but dispersed across different sources, and ii) unlock data that is available but not currently published openly. The collection will include metadata, definitions and other required contextualising information. This will involve further consultations and policy advice to national administrative entities and other respective data owners.  40% Novel datasets relating to the four focus countries including metadata, definitions and other required contextualising information. 
Data Quality Review    A review of the data quality will involve various validation measures, for instance time series checks and comparisons with ‘expected values’ given regional indicators, and the benchmarking of the data against customary international standards, UNFCCC guidelines and specific BTR reporting requirements.  10% Concise review report of quality of data collected in activity above, or section in the same report as above. 
Data Harmonisation and Standardisation Finally, the contractor will bring the data into a standardised format and cross-validate the data based on time series checks, comparison with ‘sensible’ or ‘expected’ values and ratios. Finally, the data will be harmonised to a shared standard, clearly documenting the relevant metadata such as the source, assumptions, and processing steps involved in the preparation of the harmonised data.  30% Novel datasets harmonised and integrated into TDC system using TDC-tools. 

Across the tasks in the above table, the contractor will engage through the established TDC communications fora—including email, GitHub, Slack, and others—with TDCI stakeholders, especially the TDCI Data group (see section 5 below) and other contracted teams working on TDC data. The contractor will digest, apply, and contribute to the improvement of the TDC data standards documentation and code tools (for instance https://docs.transport-data.org/en/latest/standards.html). Code and tools used by the contractor to perform the above tasks will either be incorporated into the existing TDC tools or released publicly under a compatible open-source license. 

Work plan 

​​​On the basis of the reporting schedule in this Terms of Reference, the contractor will prepare a work plan and include this in their offer. It is essential that the contractor demonstrates credibility that they can fulfil the activities in the timeframe of the contract (from contract signature until ​​​​​​15th March 2025). The contractor’s work plan should set out their approach to meeting the objectives in this project, which may be based on the suggested work breakdown in Table 1. 

The work plan should include a time estimate for each work plan item. The offer should consist of a cost proposal disaggregated by each item of the work plan. Interim payments can be made for each item of the work plan.  

​​​​​Reporting schedule  

The contractor will report to the members of the TDCI Data Group (a monthly meeting of the TDCI) and Loughborough University on a regular basis and will submit the deliverables outlined in Table 1, or otherwise suggested in the bid, in a timely manner as the project progresses. Any feedback resulting from review of the submissions will be actioned by the contractor in a timely manner.  

The concrete reporting schedule and communication strategy should be included in the offer and will be adapted in detail in accordance with the TDCI Data Group upon the start of the assignment. In this context, the contractor is asked to provide progress reports, gather feedback, and coordinate more in-depth exchanges as needed. The GIZ team as TDCI Secretariat (Point of Contact: Verena Knoell) is responsible for the management of the contractor and will assist with this activity. The contractual, financial and administrative aspects of this project will be managed by Loughborough University.  

Submitting an expression of interest and expertise required 

To submit your application for this work, you should prepare a detailed offer, including: 

  • A work plan for the project, including i)a timeline detailing how the objectives of this project will be met, ii) a detailed budget, including the day rate and number of days required from each expert, and iii) a concrete reporting schedule with the TDCI secretariat.  
  • CVs (max. 3 pages) of each expert proposed. 

The contractor is free to propose the experts to carry out the activities and produce the outputs. For each expert, the contractor must submit a CV which does not exceed three pages. Please note that only the lead project contractor will be subcontracted directly, and they will be expected to subcontract other team members.  

The team leader should highlight evidence of their relevant knowledge, experience and capability in: 

  • working in the field of transport decarbonisation in LMICs 
  • complex data integration tasks and data modelling 
  • leading development teams 
  • The staffed developers should highlight evidence of their relevant knowledge, experience and capability in: 
  • Data integration and data modelling 
  • Production of user-friendly knowledge products and tools.  

Evidence of prior work with transport data would be advantageous for both roles. We explicitly welcome bids from LMIC-based institutions and individuals. Offers will be reviewed by a shortlisting panel, which might include representatives from TDCI and Loughborough University.  

Please submit your offer to Ms Mansi Yadav on m.yadav@lboro.ac.uk by 23 September 2024.