VIDEO | Data4Good - Climate Action Award Winner: Telstra

(Oceania) CDO Magazine and EDM Council congratulate Telstra for winning the inaugural 2022 Data4Good Award in the Climate Action category. In a video interview with Kate Carruthers, Chief Data & Insights Officer at the University of New South Wales, Fei Tan, Telstra Head of Analytics; Jackie Coates, Head of the Telstra Foundation; and Katrina Riley, Telstra Chief Data and AI Office, Data literacy and Awareness Lead, speak about Telstra's purpose, programs, and plans for leveraging data analytics for climate action and environmental betterment.

Coates explains that Telstra aims to build a more sustainable, inclusive, and connected future where everyone can thrive. The goal is to use data and data analytics to explore how communities can protect the natural world.

She highlights the Data4Good initiative, noting it encourages people to pitch in to solve data challenges because they want to contribute to climate action.

Sharing her views on winning the Climate Action Award, Tan says that Telstra is eager to engage the community in climate action. She mentions that the organization has partnered with Earth Watch Australia, a charity that aims to grow a movement of citizen scientists through its Climate Watch app. Through this, Tan adds that citizens are encouraged to observe nature and upload pictures using the app. Climate scientists across Australia then use the collected data.

Coates notes that the organization is also involved in the Healthy Country AI program, designed with First Nations people around First Nations traditional knowledge and science. She also mentions partnering with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) — Australia's leading science agency — and the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) to provide on-the-ground training to use drones, AI, and data analytics for better management, monitoring, and adaptation.

Adding her views on good data governance, Riley says data is only as good as the humans that touch it. It has to be used responsibly to make the world a better place. She stresses the necessity to ensure that any potential advancements with AI are made responsibly without disadvantaging or excluding anyone.

CDO Magazine appreciates Jackie Coates, Fei Tan, and Katrina Riley for sharing their insights and data success stories with our global community.