Looking for Truth in the Fog of War: Expert talk with Mark Polyak, President of Global Data Management, Ipsos

Wed., August 07, 2024 | 12:30 PM — 2:00 PM

Harris School of Public Policy (The Keller Center)
1307 East 60th Street (Sky Suite - 4th floor)
Chicago, IL 60487
United States

Sponsored By: Office of Admissions

Mark Polyak, President of Global Data Management at Ipsos, will give an expert talk on various rapidly evolving remote sensing technologies, their real-world applications, and implications for global policymakers.

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In 2020, the World Bank estimated that the number of people living near conflict zones has nearly doubled since 2007, with one in five individuals in the Middle East and North Africa now residing in such areas. Last year, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed stated that the world is facing the highest number of violent conflicts since World War II, with two billion people—one-quarter of humanity—living in conflict-affected regions. Forced displacement has also surged, resulting in 110 million displaced individuals in 2023, with 75% of 36.4 million refugees hosted in low- and middle-income countries.


The world has entered a period where persistent social instability, state fragility, and conflict are the norm rather than exceptions. This situation demands that policymakers proactively assess and respond to ongoing global and regional crises more swiftly than ever before. To achieve this, they are leveraging a new generation of rapidly evolving remote sensing tools, including very high-resolution optical, thermal, and multi-spectral imagery, miniaturized satellites (CubeSats), Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), and others. When combined with advanced data science techniques and the latest breakthroughs in Large Language Models (LLMs), these tools can play a transformative role in the rapid analysis of conflicts and complex emergencies, particularly in scenarios where on-the-ground surveys are impossible. This talk will explore both the technologies and their policy applications in real-world events, including recent efforts to understand the magnitude of damage in the ongoing Gaza conflict.

Mark Polyak
Mark Polyak

Mark Polyak, President of Global Data Management at Ipsos

In his role as President of Global Data Management at Ipsos, Mark Polyak oversees strategy and implementation of scalable multi-source data flow and integration for major programs across 90+ countries. Prior to this role, Mark served in multiple capacities across Ipsos, including as President of Analytics for North America and as Chief Analytics and Data Officer for Ipsos Global Public Affairs, focusing on developing solutions and products for financial sector, big tech, healthcare, and international organizations navigating complex environments. Mark has pioneered and developed several technology approaches for rapid remote assessments in Fragility Conflict Violence (FCV) setting, which were conducted in 30+ countries for World Bank, UN and other multi-lateral international organizations. Polyak spent over 18 years building data analytics and visualization solutions and has three U.S. patents focused on real-time data integration of streaming multi-sensor data. In addition to his work at Ipsos, he sits on advisory board of UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce and X-Prize’s Pandemic Brain Trust. He is based in Washington, DC.