A post by Data-Pop Alliance summarizes some of its work on data-driven policymaking during crises that includes using GDELT for news assessment:
COVID-19 has exacerbated challenges facing vulnerable populations world-wide. The lack of adequate data for informed policy-making in crisis settings pose a particular challenge in Lebanon and Jordan. Data-Pop Alliance (DPA) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission of Western Asia (UN ESCWA), partnered with the Central Administration of Statistics (CAS) of Lebanon and the Department of Statistics (DoS) of Jordan, to close the data gap which has hindered decision-making processes especially under crises pressure. The project, “Leveraging Big Data sources for Policy Evaluation and Analysis in Crisis Settings”, created a web platform from which policymakers can draw insights and recommendations based on policy impact to assist crisis responses, similar to COVID-19, in a more agile and targeted manner.