Data Day 2013: Democratizing Data to Drive Community Change

6/6/13 NEW WORKSHOP ADDED! We are happy to announce the addition of a new morning workshop session titled Cutting Through Propaganda with the Sword of Data, featuring Jamarhl Crawford of The Blackstonian/Blackstonian.com, Jacob Leidolf of PoliticalPirates.com and Adam Freidman of MA.ElectionStats.com. An updated agenda with session details can be viewed on the MetroBoston DataCommon. Conference goers are welcome to sign up for this session or to switch into it from another morning session.

More data are available today than ever before. In addition, new tools are making it easier to explore trends, craft powerful stories, and spur change. Learn how to access information, meet colleagues from across sectors, and get inspired to apply data to your work, all for free at Data Day 2013!

The focus of Data Day this year is Data and Story Telling. Keynote speakers from the Boston Globe’s 68 Blocks project will discuss how they utilized administrative and crowd-sourced data, maps and other visualizations, interviews with residents, and first-person observations to paint a rich, layered portrait of a year in Boston’s Bowdoin-Geneva neighborhood.

Data Day 2013 is not just for journalists, though. Data Day will also help non-profits, civic institutions, and municipalities expand their capacity to use technology and data in innovative ways to advance their goals. Geared for data users at all levels, Data Day 2013 will include:

• Hands-on workshops on:
  - Census 2010 and American Community Survey data
  - WEAVE (Web-based Analysis and Visualization Environment), the
  web-based open source data visualization software behind the
  MetroBoston DataCommon
• Data visualization and information design best practices
• Introductions to free and open source software for data analysis
• New technologies and techniques for crowd-sourcing data
• And much more!

The day will provide an excellent professional development opportunity for organizations looking to get the most from their existing resources and staff. If you are interested in presenting a workshop or poster, or have general questions about the conference, please contact Holly St. Clair at (617) 933-0717.