Open data-driven storytelling

[mozfest-bot]

[ UUID ] 5a7d2bab-20c6-4f4b-94ae-ad1480fbce82

[ Session Name ] Open data-driven storytelling [ Primary Space ] Open Innovation [ Secondary Space ] Web Literacy

[ Submitter's Name ] Tomas Petricek [ Submitter's Affiliated Organisation ] Alan Turing Institute [ Submitter's Github ] @tpetricek

What will happen in your session?

This interactive session will discuss ideas that we developed as part of The Gamma project (https://www.turing.ac.uk/research_projects/the-gamma). The attendees will create a number of visualizations based on public data sets and we will discuss best ways of presenting data and engaging with the audience in order to make facts matter.

The session will consist of three parts:

1. A brief demo of some of ways of exposing and visualizing data via The Gamma (http://thegamma.net).
2. A hands-on part where attendees choose one of the provided data sets (or a custom one) and build their own visualizations.
3. A more general discussion about how accessible and engaging data science can restore trust in statistics and facts.

What is the goal or outcome of your session?

Governments and journalists publish increasing amounts of raw data, but at the same time, “post-truth” has been chosen as the word of the year 2016 and the general public increasingly distrusts statistics. In other words, data science has new capabilities to help us understand the world, yet it is becoming less relevant in public discussion. This session will seek to answer the question: What can we do to make facts backed by data more accessible and engaging?

If your session requires additional materials or electronic equipment, please outline your needs.

No additional needs beyond a projector.

Time needed

60 mins

[tpetricek]

Hi everyone, author of the proposal here.

I'd love to hear feedback and suggestions on how this proposal can be improved. I was thinking of spending about 2/3 of the time playing with the project we've been building at @alan-turing-institute, but if people have suggestions on other things that fit well with the "open data-driven storytelling" theme, I'd be happy to include those - especially if you'll be around and can help.

Equally, I would be very interested in good data sets to play with. I've done a few demos with Olympic medallists and the UK government expenditure so we can use those, but I imagine there might other fun data sets - if it is a list of events (like the Olympic medals), than that works the best.

Finally, it would be really good to have some more ideas on how to make data science more engaging & restore trust in statistics. I have some thoughts on this, based on our work to build more engaging visualizations and making visualizations transparent, but having more perspectives would be great!

[KirstieJane]

[ Facilitator 1 Name ] Tomas Petricek [ Facilitator 1 Github ] @tpetricek [ Facilitator 1 Twitter ] @tomaspetricek

Requirements

• Screen and laptop
• Space for poster or second screen with static information

[kaodro]

Hi @tpetricek , my name is Kasia and I work on Mozilla’s Internet Health Report. At Mozfest we will be present with an “Internet Research Hub” #618 (last comment) - an easy-going, cozy space for discussions and networking both with us about Internet Health and among researchers themselves.

We also invite anyone who does work in an Internet research field to sign up and present their work at a couple of open display tables we will have in the hub. If you would like to present something in the hub in addition to your official session, let me know! We will promote these sessions throughout the festival. You can sign up spontaneously with pen and paper on site or if you would like to save a spot beforehand, drop me an email at kasia@mozillafoundation.org with a short description of the session.

In any case, I would like to invite you to pass by the hub and say hi. We will start with an informal "Research and coffee grinder” get-together at the beginning of the festival where people can get to know each other. Space and exact schedule for the Hub are still being decided and I will update you once we know the details. Hope to see you there!

[KirstieJane]

@marcwalsh - changed session format. I've updated the end of the description in the guidebook.