This report provides guidelines for evaluators, evaluation and programme managers, policy makers and funding agencies on how to take advantage of the rapidly emerging field of big data in the design and implementation of systems for monitoring and evaluating development programmes. The report draws on interviews conducted with a sample of international development experts from UN agencies, bilateral aid agencies, multilateral development banks, and civil society, as well as data analysts specializing in development applications. It also draws on a review of the existing literature as well as an active participation in a number of recent conferences and workshops related to the use of new data sources.