Posts tagged open data

Data Visualization Academy in Denmark in May, August and October 2013

Learn how to “work with big data, visualize the data and create meaningful solutions that are driven by analytics and design”.

The Danish Design Centre and Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design are collaborating to create a world class Data Visualization Academy. We are offering courses where participants will learn how to work with big data, visualize the data and create meaningful solutions that are driven by analytics and design.

Learn more about the workshops in May, August and October.

Hat tip @astawellejus

Report: Being Open About Data - Analysis of the UK open data policies and applicability of open data

This paper argues that without engaging data users in open-data policies effectively, little positive development is likely to be achieved in terms of applicability of data. Open data only has value in its use, and at the moment it seems that the most efficient way of facilitating that use is to: a) Provide more education on the data society, b) Further engage those that are already empowered, c) Encourage third-party sites and initiatives.

Author: Antti Halonen, The Finnish Institute, London.

View full report here CC:BY-SA.

Call for Proposals: Open Knowledge in Action at the Open Knowledge Festival (Helsinki, Sep, 2012)

This festival will be looking at the value that can be generated by opening up knowledge, the ecosystems of organisations that can benefit from such sharing, and the impacts that transparency can have in our societies.

Proposals due April 20 (1st round) and June 1 (2nd round). Open Knowledge Festival, Sep 17-22, 2012, Helsinki, Finland.

Submit proposals here: http://okfestival.org/call-for-proposals/ and have a look at this etherpad for the collaborative planning of the festival and its themes.

TO STAY UP-TO-DATE TO CALLS LIKE THIS, SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG!

ABOUT THIS FESTIVAL - This festival will be looking at the value that can be generated by opening up knowledge, the ecosystems of organisations that can benefit from such sharing, and the impacts that transparency can have in our societies. What kinds of new professions, ideas and community initiatives can emerge within our governments, markets, networks and neighbourhoods as a result of these engagements?

The exploration of this theme will not only be visible in the festival’s content, but also in its implementation as the first global event of its kind. At OKFestival, we will experiment with pioneering new forms of collaboration, new workshop formats and new forms of participation. We will highlight the diversity of Finland’s open knowledge communities, encouraging the participation of representatives from Nordic nations. We will bring together civil society representatives, programmers, data wranglers, designers, students, members of government, local communities and citizens for a week of building new things and sharing great ideas.

http://okfestival.org/

Hat tip to Anna Seravalli for spotting this.

Report: The Data Dividend - Making the most of big data means adapting to its unique opportunities and challenges

This report looks at the uses of big data, the benefits to be gained from better use, and the challenges to effective deployment of data within public services.

Publication by the UK think tank Demos. Access full report here: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/The_Data_Dividend_-_web.pdf

Excerpt

The transparency agenda is a cornerstone of the Coalition Government’s ambitions for Britain. It is at the centre of efforts to improve efficiency, build trust in government and public agencies, and reduce costs overall. Much of the work that has been done on the benefits of transparency of data has focused on the impact this will have on the public and the potential for civil society to engage with government and to use data to transform service delivery. This is – obviously – a vital benefit of greater data transparency, but we must also emphasise the gains that can be made by exploiting the insight provided by data to drive decision-making within public services. What is more, if the transparency agenda is to take root in the culture of public services, public servants themselves must be shown the benefits to their work of sharing and using data well. Too often – as in the debate about spending transparency and local government – the focus has been placed on ‘checking up’ on public servants; this is important, but it must be matched with discernable benefits for those who are charged with spending public money and delivering public services.

In order for big data to play their part in transforming the state, public servants need to be skilled and confident users. The right mix of technology and culture change within public services can make data a tool for public servants, rather than simply a tool for complaint. This report looks at the uses of big data, the benefits to be gained from better use, and the challenges to effective deployment of data within public services. We do not oppose the ambitions of transparency and public and civil engagement – but we argue that this must be accompanied by radical changes to how government collects and collates data so as to ensure that public servants are part of the story too.

Access full report here: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/The_Data_Dividend_-_web.pdf

Grants: Research Reports on Digital Networks and Urban Public Space (for $10,000 grants, due April 30)

The Urban Communication Foundation has funded dozens of research projects and now solicit public research reports on issues that have a direct bearing on public policy and/or the everyday life for people within cities; e.g. the relationship between open data, communication infrastructures, and better government.

Proposals due April 30, 2012. Urban Communication Foundation (UCF). http://urbancomm.org/

Urban Communication is the study of communication within an urban context. The built environment is rich with information and physical architectures that manifest unique social situations. From traffic patterns to sidewalks, to mobile computing and surveillance technologies, the issues presented by the rapidly changing communication context constructed through urban environments are vast and varied.

The Urban Communication Foundation (UCF) has been a leader in promoting scholarship in this general area. The Foundation has funded dozens of research projects and acknowledged dozens of scholars that have advanced the field of study. We now seek to extend this influence by focusing in on particular issues or areas of research. As such, will be soliciting public research reports on issues that have a direct bearing on public policy and/or the everyday life for people within cities.

These reports should be between 8000-10000 words in length and present original research on the topic. The end product should aim to have some influence on policy makers, community leaders and scholars and contribute to basic research and practical solutions. The author(s) of the top rated proposal will receive a stipend of $10,000. The money can go to individuals or institutions to provide various forms of research support.

The UCF is proud to announce the first call for research reports on the topic of Digital Networks and Urban Public Space. Interested researchers should submit a proposal outlining the research problem and how it intersects with established urban questions or problems that have yet to be adequately addressed. (See guidelines below).

Topics might include but are not limited to:

• how urban architecture can use digital scaffolding to enhance public spaces
• how Federal or municipal communication policies can positively impact municipal governments or civic life
• the relationship between open data, communication infrastructures, and better government
• communication technology-focused citizen engagement
• how digital networks alter sense of place and change the shape and role of cities

Guidelines for Submitting Proposals/Applications

Proposals should address each of the following

1. Identification of the communication problem or opportunity
2. Description of the research project and methodology employed
3. Desired impact

Each of these three sections of the proposal should be limited to approximately 500 words. Please include a cover page with the name, position, institution, and contact information for all authors. Please adhere to a standard citation form.

*Applications should include a short itemized budget and a concise statement providing a rationale for the expenses listed in the budget. Funds may be expended in a variety of ways (e.g., to hire a research assistant or for a course buy-out), provided that it is clear how doing so will enable the researcher(s) to complete the proposed work. Funds may not be used to purchase computer hardware. Funds awarded by the UCF may be utilized to offset fringe costs (such as those often involved in hiring a research assistant), but the Foundation will not cover overhead expenses (i.e., indirect costs). In any case, the total amount of the award will not exceed $10,000.

*Applicants should include a current CV and one letter of recommendation. The referee should be able to assess the significance and viability of the project described in the proposal, as well as the qualifications of the applicant as they pertain to the proposed work.

*Proposals should be submitted to Eric Gordon at Eric_Gordon [at] emerson [dot] edu no later than April 30, 2012. Funding decisions will be made  by  June 1, 2012. White papers should be completed no later than May 1, 2013. White papers will be published on the UCF website and disseminated widely.

Evaluation of Proposals and Awarding Funds

• A committee consisting of two Urban Communication Foundation members of the Board of Directors and the Board of Advisors, as well as an external reviewer will evaluate all applications submitted by the specified deadline.
• UCF will contact the author(s) of the top-rated proposal to ascertain their commitment to the proposed research project and will subsequently release funds to the researcher(s).
• The UCF will announce the proposal selected on the Foundation’s web site. The author(s) will be recognized as Urban Communication Foundation Fellows.

Aca-article: Six Provocations for Big Data

The era of Big Data has begun. Computer scientists, physicists, economists, mathematicians, political scientists, bio-informaticists, sociologists, and many others are clamoring for access to the massive quantities of information produced by and about people, things, and their interactions. Diverse groups argue about the potential benefits and costs of analyzing information from Twitter, Google, Verizon, 23andMe, Facebook, Wikipedia, and every space where large groups of people leave digital traces and deposit data. Significant questions emerge. Will large-scale analysis of DNA help cure diseases? Or will it usher in a new wave of medical inequality? Will data analytics help make people’s access to information more efficient and effective? Or will it be used to track protesters in the streets of major cities? Will it transform how we study human communication and culture, or narrow the palette of research options and alter what ‘research’ means? Some or all of the above?

This essay offers six provocations that we hope can spark conversations about the issues of Big Data. Given the rise of Big Data as both a phenomenon and a methodological persuasion, we believe that it is time to start critically interrogating this phenomenon, its assumptions, and its biases.

(This paper was presented at Oxford Internet Institute’s “A Decade in Internet Time: Symposium on the Dynamics of the Internet and Society” on September 21, 2011.)

Article deposited in the Social Science Research Network’s repository.

By: 

danah boyd, Microsoft Research; University of New South Wales (UNSW); Harvard University - Berkman Center for Internet & Society

Kate Crawford, University of New South Wales (UNSW)

Access the full article here: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1926431

Thanks Pernilla Severson for letting us know about this!

If you enjoy this post, make sure to subscribe to Curated by MEDEA