Migration is one of the most important issues of the twenty-first century. More data is needed to better understand how and why people are moving so that focus interventions and urban development strategies can better support evidence-based migration policy. "Big data" is large, complicated data from a variety of sources and it is often touted as a means to closing the knowledge gaps that are present today. In July 2019 we took part in a workshop in London, Britain, of experts, from both academia and humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the United Nations (UN) to better understand the potential applications of big data in migration research and policy and ultimately, we identified six important topics related to big data in migration research and policy. This includes gaining access to and using data, data integration within data sources and information, practitioners understanding the environmental factors that shape migrations, improving migrant populations' access to health care, resolving ethical and security issues inherent to how big data is used, and reconciliation of political narratives. We also support more cross-disciplinary cooperation on how to maximize the use of big data in migration research while safeguarding vulnerable migrant groups and a careful assessment of the challenges implied by our growing use of big data. In that vein, this paper examines the potential of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) for migration forecasting and explores their transformational potential, application strategies, results, and challenges. The final part offers a strong set of recommendations for improving mechanisms for managing international migration.
