Forecasting for social good in India

Researchers from Cardiff Business School will investigate the use of forecasting for social good after successfully securing a Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF) award through Cardiff University.

The £8.5k award will allow Dr Bahman Rostami-Tabar and Professor Aris Syntetos to organize a 3-day workshop bringing together academics and practitioners with social missions from across India.

The workshop aims to:

• demonstrate the importance of forecasting for social good;
• set the agenda for research collaboration and attract funds to facilitate relevant societal practices;
• train participants to use forecasting models and data analytics using ‘R’, a free open source software package.

30 participants are invited from five different sectors including humanitarian and disaster relief operations, charity and social services, education, healthcare and government and policy-makers.

Practitioners will work together in groups to identify challenges facing India in each of these sectors.

Dr Bahman Rostami-Tabar, Assistant Professor in Management Science at Cardiff Business School, said: “It is increasingly necessary to democratize access to high-quality education in developing countries, focusing on capacity building and developing the capabilities required to tackle and solve practical societal problems...”

This project is supported by the Panalpina Centre for Manufacturing and Logistics Research and Wudi, an initiative that aims to achieve world-class research with impact in the fields of forecasting for social good.

Based in Cardiff Business School the Panalpina Centre for Manufacturing and Logistics Research bridges the gap between theory and practice in these areas for the benefit of the economy, environment and society.