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 works in analytics architecture at Ford Motor Company while continuing astrophysics research on the side. He serves on the steering committee for the Conference on Statistical Practice and is president-elect of the Detroit Chapter. He is the founder of Peace-Work, a volunteer cooperative of statisticians and data scientists providing analytic support for charitable groups and applying statistical methods to issue-driven advocacy in poverty, education, and social justice.
DataKind is one of the most prominent organizations in the Data for Good volunteer movement. Founded in 2011 by data scientist Jake Porway, DataKind has grown rapidly to become a large, global organization making a great impact, with thousands of volunteers working on dozens of projects. Headquartered in New York, DataKind has chapters in San Francisco; Washington, DC; London; Dublin; Bangalore; and Singapore and hosts events around the world. The organization combines the resources of a large number of volunteers with a smaller cadre of professional staff. With substantial financial support from foundations, grants, and other donations supporting a multitude of projects, DataKind is a powerful engine for using data and analytic science to make a difference in communities and around the world.
For many projects, DataKind partners directly with other organizations—not-for-profits, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and government agencies—engaged in addressing problems and creating solutions with data science. DataKind also collaborates with corporate data science efforts, partnering with Informatica, Cloudera, Pivotal, Microsoft, and others. Volunteers often work closely with a project team centered on a particular issue or organization.
DataKind’s labs are large, long-term projects with many volunteers led by DataKind core professional staff. Data Corps projects connect volunteers with a social service or community group to use data science to further the organization’s goals. DataKind also offers opportunities for short-term projects, including engagements with a four-hour stint and weekend Data Dive events.
With its own core professional staff in addition to many volunteers, DataKind offers opportunities for direct employment in Data for Good. DataKind is well known and respected in professional circles.
One large DataKind project now underway is with Vision Zero, an international traffic safety project working to design a highway system with zero fatalities or serious injuries. Vision Zero started in 1997 in Sweden, which saw a 42% decrease in traffic fatalities between 1999 and 2009, even as traffic volumes were increasing. After being copied in various ways in several European countries and Canada, DataKind collaborated with Microsoft to begin a project early this year aimed at applying Vision Zero goals, principles, and methods to cities in the US.
DataKind’s multi-year Vision Zero project targets three American cities: New York, Seattle, and New Orleans. This partnership with Microsoft and the city governments has already produced a number of important statistical models. “Exposure” models to estimate traffic volumes have been developed for New York and Seattle. These models are able to estimate traffic volumes on individual streets throughout these cities. The information makes a critical difference in planning and evaluating accident mitigation strategies: While the cities have had good data on outcomes—the accidents—for some time, predictor information has been incomplete. Armed with traffic estimates at the individual street level available for the first time, this ongoing analytic work is developing models to save lives.
While the exposure model can be applied to different cities, several models developed by the DataKind Vision Zero project have been designed for specific locations. In New York, a crash model identifies accident locations and the street features associated with them. In Seattle, with the highest rate of bicycle usage among the first three cities, a suite of models examines vehicle collisions with bikes and pedestrians. In New Orleans, an impact assessment tool measures the effects of treatments to improve traffic safety, such as improved signage.
This project displays many important characteristics of the Data for Good movement. An organization engaged in the public good—in this case, the city governments seeking to reduce traffic accidents—has some data, but lacks the analytic resources to leverage it. Volunteer data scientists provide the needed expertise to manage existing resources, develop new data sources, and provide analytics needed to empower action for the good of all. In each city, the DataKind team is developing data infrastructure and models that can be adapted to other cities across the country and around the world.
As one of the leading Data for Good organizations in the world, DataKind offers many opportunities for statistical volunteers—and even a few professionals. With large and small projects partnering with social organizations, NGO’s, government agencies, and others, Data for Good with DataKind is one of the most important channels for statisticians working for the benefit of society.
Find out more about the Vision Zero project or learn about DataKind projects at their Get Involved monthly roundup.
Also, if you wish to learn more about using data to change the world, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are presenting a conference—Data Matters: Ethics, Data, and International Research Collaboration in a Changing World—in Washington, DC, March 14. Registration is free.
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