This column is written for those interested in learning about the world of Data for Good, where statistical analysis is dedicated to good causes that benefit our lives, our communities, and our world. If you would like to know more or have ideas for articles, contact David Corliss.

With a PhD in statistical astrophysics, David Corliss leads a data science team at Fiat Chrysler. He serves on the steering committee for the Conference on Statistical Practice and is the founder of Peace-Work, a volunteer cooperative of statisticians and data scientists providing analytic support for charitable groups and applying statistical methods in issue-driven advocacy.

As we turn over the calendar, it is important to take time to reflect on the past and consider where we are going. 2018 was an amazing year, marked by rapidly growing numbers of Data for Good projects, volunteers, and opportunities. Data for Good in the news.

2018 was a landmark year during which the D4G community both grew and drew closer together, coalescing into a stronger, more vibrant, and more distinct movement. Statisticians have always done D4G—I like to point to the example of Florence Nightingale in the 1850s as one early example. Yet, in the past year, the D4G community has gained a more distinct character. We are seeing many more organizations, projects, positions, conferences, and conference sections distinctly labeled as D4G. With this increased visibility has come more opportunities, supported by more and better networking and communication between D4G practitioners.

We are now amid a sea change in which D4G activities are becoming an explicit part of many programs—and careers! It is my own hope and goal that D4G becomes normative, an ordinary part of almost any analytic career—in the same manner pro bono work is for other professions. The past 12 months have seen D4G gain a clearer, more distinct identity within the larger analytic world.

Organizationally, the new Leadership Institute, an initiative of ASA Past President Lisa LaVange, offers training and professional growth opportunities that may affect the D4G space most of all. Also, on the news front, Statistics Without Borders (SWB) has a new charter, fostering a closer relationship with the ASA. You can learn more about SWB on their website.

The Joint Statistical Meetings saw many presentations and sessions with clear D4G themes. These highlighted both the work and the ever-advancing technology used by D4G practitioners to help people and to build better communities and a better world. The Karl E. Peace Award for Outstanding Statistical Contributions for the Betterment of Society was awarded to Patrick Ball of the Human Right Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) for pioneering work in human rights violations. Ball’s work has become an inspiration and guide for many, including me.

One of the most important developments of the past year has been the growth in the number and impact of D4G hackathons. There is now a steady stream of events to be found through internet searches. In many cases, hackathons combine in-person and virtual volunteers via streaming, removing the requirement to be physically located where the hackathon is headquartered. Another big area of growth in 2018, often going hand-in-hand with hackathons, are student groups. Rather than trying to start new student groups in D4G, which can be challenging, the most success has been found by working with existing student organizations already doing good and adding the dimension of statistics and data science to their work. This valuable lesson was learned by partnering with the important work of Russ Lavery at Drexel. By adding this science and technology to existing groups—with their existing infrastructure, leadership, and university approvals—more students are finding a fast track to making an even greater impact with statistics and data science.

With the successes in 2018, there have been challenges as well. The D4G community is starting to experience growing pains, with more willing and interested volunteers than well-organized projects to enable their outstanding scientific skills and interest. Addressing this issue will be a subject of future columns—stay tuned!

Another concern in 2018 has been the viability of government data resources in the United States in an administration not always amenable to unfettered scientific discourse. Several D4G data rescue researchers engaged in “data rescue,” archiving public data sources should access be restricted in the future—a concern and practice time has proven well-founded.

Of course, the D4G community is not free from any of the issues that affect the analytic community. The concerns about reproducibility, use—and misuse! —of p-values, bias, and other questions of statistical reliability are important for everyone. However, they are especially critical in D4G research, partly because so much is at stake and partly because our work on questions of social good has great potential to become politicized and even opposed for reasons other than statistical quality. The ASA has rightly taken a lead in addressing these issues, and it must continue. All statistical work benefits from proper care and rigor, with D4G perhaps most of all. Our high calling demands we practice the highest standards of reliability and reproducibility, lest any incautious work become an ore from which denial is refined.

Of course, one new happening in the D4G community in the past year is this column. I hope and trust it has reflected all the rest—the success stories, volunteers and their good work, the emerging technology, and much more. What started as an invitation from Mary Kwasny to write a guest column in a late 2017 issue became a concept proposal and then this column, hopefully as a vehicle for supporting D4G projects.

The American Statistical Association—its officers and members and the Amstat News staff—all have worked together to make this vision a reality. The unsung hero in all of this is Megan Murphy—our editor—whose hard work, skill, patience, and sound advice has nurtured this concept and helped bring it to blossom. Anyone who has benefited at all from this column owes her a deep debt of gratitude, one I can never repay.

The most important role in all of this has been you, the readers! Your support, comments, ideas for columns, and sharing with your colleagues turned this idea into a reality. As we go forward into the challenges and successes for another year, your support will continue to be the strength and light leading the way.

Get Involved

While speaking at a wonderful conference—Young Bayesians and Big Data for Social Good from CIRM at Aix Marseilles University—I met a remarkable PhD student, Matthew Rushworth, who is working on a great D4G project addressing a critical environmental concern. Virtual Reef is a citizen scientist project collecting divers’ images of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. These crowd-sourced images are analyzed to monitor and predict coral coverage. Visit the Virtual Reef and contribute images.

Another great opportunity coming up is a one-day conference April 5, Data Science for Social Good, at the Boston Museum of Science. I hope to see many of you there!