Part 2: Sharing the Wealth. Of Knowledge.

"Us" is the western, industrialized world. "Them" is the developing world. People in the industrialized countries grow up in small families and enjoy long lives. Developing countries? They grow up in large families and have short lives. Why the difference? And what can be done about it?

The rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. What is the relationship between the richest nations on earth and the poorest ones? Do we know the truth? Does education, investment, and free trade make any difference? What is the answer to this question?

Before we can answer any important questions, we need to know what is the truth, what the data tells us. Because the better our understanding, the better the questions we can ask. And the better the questions we ask, the better the answers we can have.

If you haven't explored the world of TED Talks yet, you've been living in a cave. Hans Rosling, Swedish scientist with the Karolinska Institute, is an unlikely candidate for myth-busting, data-liberating, knowledge-sharing hero. He's the founder of Gapminder, a nonprofit organization that seeks to make information accessible to ordinary people. Their mandate is to share the wealth. Of knowledge. Because that is what will propel the world forward in the Information Age.

Rosling has enthusiastically taken on the biggest challenge of our time, providing nothing short of brilliance in the service of worldwide progress. In the video, he explores three topics. 1. Income and family size differences in developed and developing countries. 2. World income distribution and its relationship to development and health. And 3. Data collection and the sharing of that information, and its role in solving the problems we face today in the world.

His enthusiasm is infectious. Watch at 4:20 to see it. Again, at 15:00. "Why are we not using the data we have?" he asks. "We have data in the United Nations, the national statistical agencies, and in universities and in other nongovenmental organizations. ....The data is hidden, down in the databases. ...... the internet is there, but we have still not used it effectively."

He implores us to think. Indeed, there are websites that upload some of the data that has been collected, "but people put prices on them, stupid passwords, and boring statistics." Brilliant!

So what is needed? "A search function, where we can copy the data up to searchable format, and get it out in the world."

And what do we hear? "Everyone says its impossible, this can't be done.....we can't give the information free to the students, free to the entrepreneurs of the world. But this is what we would like to see."

Liberate the world's information, share the knowledge, and enable the capture of the tremendous value that such freedom of information generates. Please enjoy the next 20 minutes of enlightenment.



Share the Wealth. Of Knowledge.