Wyerworks Advisory is Dr Katherine Wyers' independent practice, helping governments, NGOs, and public-sector institutions design and improve information systems where mistakes cause real harm, and carry real institutional and fiduciary exposure. That includes identity, health, education, and other data that touches people's lives. Specialist associates join specific engagements where the scope calls for it.
Led directly by Dr Katherine Wyers, grounded in PhD research on digital public infrastructure and structural exclusion.
Advising on which systems, standards, and suppliers to commit to, weighing fiduciary risk alongside the technical case so the recommendation holds up under procurement review, checked against GDPR Article 9 and OCHA data-responsibility standards. Sometimes that means recommending a build. Sometimes it means reworking the approach until it fits within the data-protection requirements, rather than proceeding with something that puts people at risk.
Designing and building systems that hold up at national and regional scale. Hundreds of thousands of records, unreliable electricity, little or no mobile connectivity. Identity-data protections have to survive contact with those conditions.
Reviewing systems already in the field, recommending the path forward, then doing the work of delivering it. Local ownership is built in from day one so data protection and data quality remain when the consultancy ends.
Does this change put anyone at risk? Once it meant recommending against a biometric intervention on safeguarding grounds. Once, proving change can be delivered at scale without compromising data protection for vulnerable populations. And once, fixing a system already in the field so it kept people's sensitive data safe.
Advised an international development partner against proceeding with a public-private partnership biometric data project on data-protection grounds, for a displaced and vulnerable population. The recommendation was accepted and the project paused until the necessary safeguards could be introduced.
A regional education authority oversaw primary and secondary education for 180,000 students across 1,700 schools, most reachable only by foot, with unreliable power and no mobile signal. Designed and built a digitised data system on 100 thin-client laptops, and trained local staff to train others in local languages so it wouldn't need outside support to keep running.
Reviewed an operational communication system across healthcare clinics and advised the NGO's leadership on adopting the WHO mHealth framework, then built, tested, monitored, and handed over the replacement for local ownership. A 20-week regional engagement handling personal data to WHO guideline standards.
When the data involves sensitive personal information, vulnerable populations, or protection status, a poorly designed workflow isn't just inefficient. It excludes people, and it puts them at risk. This work focuses on the operational side of digital public infrastructure.
Analysing and improving data flows between national health management systems (DHIS2), civil registries (CRVS), and field logs. Interoperable by design, without violating local data sovereignty.
Structuring sensitive personal categories such as gender identity transition, displacement records, and disability data to prevent forced categorisation and unauthorised exposure. This data matters because getting it wrong can put someone's safety at risk.
Systems that hold up under strict purpose limitation, zero-trust role access, and auditable data lineage. Built to GDPR Article 9 so the architecture accounts for what actually happens on the ground, not just what the specs say should.
Wyerworks Advisory operates as a focused solo practice led personally by Dr Katherine Wyers, with specialist associates brought in when specific projects require expanded capacity.
The practice is backed by twelve years of hands-on technical direction and software delivery in operationally demanding, low-resource, and regulated environments. Rather than managing engagements remotely, this experience was built on the ground across the countries and institutions served, whether through direct institutional appointements or as a sub-contractor for larger systems. Every architecture and delivery decision is weighed carefully against the real-world consequences for the individuals whose data the system protects.
This background spans refugee identity systems across active border zones in South East Asia, offline education data management across thousands of schools, clinical research data infrastructure, and provincial-scale open-source education rollouts (OpenEMIS / UNESCO). Dr Wyers is an independent contributor to the DHIS2 ecosystem—deployed across 80 low- and middle-income countries—with technical execution grounded directly in Python, Java, React, and PostgreSQL.
She currently serves as the identity-data specialist on the early design phase of a multi-country DHIS2 tracking system for an international NGO, translating OCHA data responsibility guidelines and IFRC protection standards directly into core system architecture under GDPR Article 9 safeguards.
Examining how large-scale government identity systems affect marginalised populations, gender re-categorisation, and street-level information system use.
Inquire about workflow audits, advisory capacity, or architectural consultations. Tell us a little about the system, the constraint, and the people it serves.