As climate change intensifies threats to small island nations across the Caribbean, a leading regional scientific leader has sounded an urgent alarm: fragmented data sharing across national and institutional borders is severely limiting climate research, undermining evidence-based policy, and putting the entire region at a critical turning point that could derail climate adaptation efforts. Dr. David Farrell, principal of the Barbados-based Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), outlined these deep-rooted challenges in an exclusive interview with Barbados TODAY, stressing that immediate government policy intervention is required to unlock trapped critical climate and cross-sectoral datasets.
Farrell explained that even CIMH, the region’s primary meteorological and hydrological training and research body, faces persistent barriers accessing key data within Barbados itself, a gap that directly restricts the institute’s ability to deliver actionable insights for decision-makers. He framed the current impasse as a defining moment for the region: if data holders continue to refuse collaboration with scientific researchers, Caribbean nations will fall far behind in global efforts to leverage technology for climate resilience.
“Data sharing is non-negotiable for progress right now – I cannot overstate how central it is to every challenge we face,” Farrell said. He highlighted that interconnected “nexus problems” – overlapping issues that cut across multiple economic and social sectors – are growing increasingly complex, and solving them depends on cross-sector information flow. For example, public health outcomes directly shape agricultural productivity, meaning food system planners require access to public health data to make informed decisions. Similarly, long-term economic planning relies on detailed, up-to-date labor force data that is often locked away in siloed government or private databases.
Farrell acknowledged concerns about sensitive data, noting that existing frameworks already address these risks: sensitive datasets can be clearly marked, and legally binding access agreements can be put in place to govern use. What serves no purpose, he argued, is hoarding data on private servers where it cannot contribute to better decision-making. “Data that is not shared has zero value,” he emphasized. “It cannot improve livelihoods, attract investment, or solve the problems we are all facing.”
The push for open data is particularly urgent as the region looks to adopt cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning to address climate and development challenges, Farrell noted. Both AI and machine learning are deeply data-dependent, and claims of investing in these technologies ring hollow without a commitment to open data sharing. “You can’t say you’re building AI systems if you’re not willing to provide the data that powers them,” he said. “Data is the fuel for these tools – without it, they cannot produce the actionable insights we need.”
Farrell pointed out that data sharing challenges exist at both national and regional levels, but there has been incremental progress. As more regional institutions recognize the scientific and economic value of open data, collaboration has become easier. The biggest gap remains at the interface between national governments and regional bodies, he said, where data holders often hesitate to share information without formal policies in place to protect their interests. Suspicion around the purpose of data requests also slows progress.
To illustrate the benefits of a robust open data policy, Farrell pointed to the United States, where most government-generated data is freely available to the public. This open data ecosystem is a core reason the U.S. leads in many fields of research and technological innovation, he argued, because it allows researchers to test models, validate concepts, and build new products and services that drive economic growth.
Against this backdrop, Farrell is calling on Caribbean governments to lead the shift by enacting formal data sharing policies that encourage open access and streamlined cross-border data movement. In today’s fast-paced digital age, delayed data sharing renders information irrelevant by the time it is released, he warned. If the region moves too slowly to open up its datasets, outside entities will fill the gap with alternative data sources, and local stakeholders will lose out on the economic and scientific benefits of controlling their own information.
“If we want to keep pace with global technological advances and use them to improve climate resilience and quality of life across the Caribbean, we have to revisit our outdated data models and policies,” Farrell insisted. “We are already at a crossroads. The choice to implement thoughtful open data policies will set the region up for progress; failing to act will leave us locked out of the benefits of modern science and technology.”