Discovery Day 2017 is focused on technology’s contribution to improve the governance of tenure and address some of the world’s most pressing issues, ranging from climate change to violent conflicts and mass migration. Bringing together speakers from government, the private sector, FAO and the World Bank, UNECE Discovery Day 2017 demonstrated how technologies could improve accountability and transparency, contribute to gender equality and increase public participation. Good practices from Serbia and the UK in establishing Centers of Excellence to support government institutions to make the best use of available spatial data and technologies demonstrated how innovations have increased the social and economic benefits of investments. Innovative solutions such as the use of very high resolution satellite imagery and imagery collected with drones, machine learning and crowdsourcing technologies demonstrated how to deal with complex situations and achieve more with less resources and time.
Several round tables were organized, upon the request of countries and civil society, where panelists discussed their most pressing issues and how technologies contributed to resolving those issues, aiming to look forward and prepare a short-term country specific action plan.