  Finding reliable data to inform decisions about technology for global
development remains a challenge. Easily accessible "Knowledge platforms" are a
way to curate and standardize information about technology for development.
Three collaborators, Engineering for Change, the Global Alliance for Clean
Cookstoves and the Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology
(CAWST) are working together to create platforms to serve the global
development sector. Such platforms could be the first step in making decisions
about how to solve a problem that needs a technology-based solution. They could
motivate manufacturers to demonstrate compliance with quality standards, and
they could encourage independent research into each product's impact. Years of
development experience worldwide have yielded a set of best practices to
increase the life of a project. These platforms clarify those practices to
improve quality and reduce waste. As the platforms mature, mining them for data
could identify trends that influence the entire technology ecosystem. Those
could include decisions about performance targets, future innovation, pricing,
compliance with regulations, and funding priorities.
