The company has built the tool to integrate open, unstructured, passive and survey data, with the aim of expanding the evidence base used for public policy decision-making.

It was initially developed in 2020 to combine data from multiple sources using machine learning and geospatial modelling to support vaccination programme targeting in East Africa and was later expanded to advise clients on broader policy design in the targeting of programme interventions.

The platform uses open data sets, reducing the reliance on surveys.

Kantar worked with clients to co-develop the tool, including clients in India and the Netherlands.

Michelle Harrison, global chief executive, Kantar Public (pictured), said: “The commitment of governments and public sector institutions to make more data openly accessible means that there is a responsibility on us to provide public value in the way we create and curate data.

“Our data infrastructure allows us to create and collect the gold standard evidence that our clients need. By combining these different approaches, Public Evidential marks a further evolution in Kantar Public’s data ecosystem.”

Harrison added that the platform will allow Kantar Public to model policy interventions on a geographical basis, which could be applied in settings including public health and mobility policy.