Data Fundamentals

In the Information Age, we are awash in a sea of data – it is all around us, and is used to make important decisions about our lives. But what exactly is data? What can you do with it? And what can other people do with your data? In this short course we aim to give participants the ability to appreciate data and its uses, through discussions, demonstrations, and exploration.

Length: 4 sessions x 2 hours/session
Level: General

Outline:

• Data privacy and ethics in an electronic world
• Data visualization and story telling
• Data fundamentals and applications
• Artificial intelligence and the future of data

Audience and Requirements: This course is intended for a general audience. No technical knowledge or equipment is required.

Data is everywhere, and it is changing the world. Do you want to use data to make things happen? In this workshop, get inspired by seeing powerful examples of what data can do when combined with insight, imagination and the right tools. For each example of data-driven change we present, you will also learn a bit about the ‘magic’ behind the scenes: – the types of tools and techniques that were used and how these worked with the data. To make everything concrete and applicable, we’ll also show you simple demos of some of these techniques using open-source data and off-the-shelf tools.

Length: 1 day
Level: General

Outline: Case studies will include domains and topics such as:

• Data Science and Health: Tracking and Preventing Disease Outbreaks,Diagnostic Tools
• Data Science and Commerce: Amazon, Netlifx, Recommender Engines
• Data Science and the Environment: Tracking Air Quality and Dust Movement, Using Drones to identify ecologically sensitive habitats

Audience and Requirements: This is a precursor workshop to Doing Data Science: Getting Started. This is a complementary workshop to Discovering the Power of Data. This workshop is a non-technical workshop. It has no prerequisites and is suitable for people who do not have a background in data science. If you have experience carrying out data science projects, this workshop will be too basic for you. Please see advanced technical workshops. You may benefit from having access to a laptop on which open source software can be installed, but this is not necessary for the workshop.

Data is a driving force behind civilization and with the advent of electronic data collection and storage, data has become available to all. Data-driven, evidence-supported decision making has become paramount. But what exactly is data? What can you do with it? And what can other people do with your data? In this workshop we will explore the power of data, from recording keeping, to data science to artificial intelligence. Using discussions, demonstrations and explorations, we will start to learn what data is, what it does for us – and to us – and what we can do with it.

Length: 1 day workshop
Level: General

Audience and Requirements: This is a precursor workshop to Doing Data Science: Getting Started. This is a complementary workshop to Changing the World with Data. This workshop is a non-technical workshop. It has no prerequisites and is suitable for people who do not have a background in data science. This workshop is also suitable for people who have a background in data science but who are interested in the history and context of data science and data analysis. You may benefit from having access to a laptop on which open source software can be installed, but this is not necessary for the workshop.