Palantir and WFP partner to help transform global humanitarian delivery
WFP will use Palantir’s Foundry software platform to bring together data sources from across the organization, enabling staff at headquarters and in field locations to access and analyse programmatic and operational data in a secure, unified environment. By connecting proven methods of delivering food assistance with dynamic data, WFP aims to reduce the cost of operations while continuing to serve its beneficiaries.
The sheer scale of WFP’s operations, assisting some 90 million people in about 80 countries, means that even small efficiencies in operational and supply chain management can lead to dramatic savings. WFP generates vast amounts of data through the purchasing of 3 million metric tons of food every year and the delivery of 15 billion rations across dozens of development projects worldwide. Making this data accessible across the organization will help WFP become even more efficient in multiple programme areas, including cash-based transfers, supply chain optimization, and nutritional requirements.
The partnership with Palantir underlines WFP’s strong commitment to digital transformation as it strives to meet the goal of ending world hunger by 2030. Building upon Palantir’s world-class data integration technology, WFP will develop new analytical tools to seize digital opportunities, improve real-time decision-making, and enhance global operations.
“Our work with Palantir will save time and money so we can more effectively and efficiently feed 90 million people on any given day across the globe,” said WFP Executive Director David Beasley. “When you work in the complex and volatile environments that we do, you know that efficient access to data means your operation runs smoother, and together with Palantir, we’re going to be even better at saving lives.”
“We strongly believe in WFP’s mission and its leadership and are so pleased that our software will be deployed across the organization,” said Alexander Karp, Palantir Technologies Co-founder and CEO. “Together we are working to help deliver more food to more people who need it, without increasing costs.”
The partnership builds on an initial pilot project between Palantir and WFP, which supported WFP’s supply chain optimization tool called Optimus. This award-winning application pulls together different data sets and visualizes the nutritional values, sourcing locations, delivery times and costs of various foods, allowing users to compare all options simultaneously for better decision-making.
So far, Optimus has saved WFP more than US$30 million in the operations where it is being used and tested and could increase annual savings by as much as US$100 million once it is rolled out more broadly.
In Iraq, for example, it helped reduce food basket costs by more than 10 percent by making small changes, such as swapping out one commodity for something similar or changing procurement sources without reducing nutritional values. By making operations more efficient and effective, WFP can make the most of every dollar spent.
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About the World Food Programme
The United Nations World Food Programme – saving lives in emergencies and changing lives for millions through sustainable development. WFP works in more than 80 countries around the world, feeding people caught in conflict and disasters, and laying the foundations for a better future.
About Palantir Technologies
Palantir Technologies is a software company that builds enterprise data platforms for use by organizations with complex and sensitive data environments. From building safer cars and planes, to discovering new drugs and combating terrorism, Palantir helps customers across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors transform the way they use their data. Additional information is available at https://www.palantir.com.
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