#Datajustice 

using open data and open source tools 
to support social services and social change

Presented at Minnesota Social Service Association 
Annual Conference 2014

Notes    bit.ly/JustDataPresentation


Goals

  1. Spark conversation, debate, and collaboration around the use of open data in social services and social change
  2. Engage participants in actively considering how open data might change their work
  3. Empower participants to take leadership in the growing open data and data justice movements within their field!

Make a list





What kinds of data do you see 

in this room, right now? 




Take 3 minutes.

Make a list



What kind of data do you already collect 
at your organization or agency?


If you aren't at an agency,
imagine being at an agency you'd like to be at.



Take 3 minutes.




ON post-it notes





What kind of data would you like to have?






Take 3 minutes.




a few startling facts...


Source: The Intercept


 Source: WikiLeaks Document Release


Source: FBI National Gang Threat Assessment


 Source: Sunlight Foundation Open Data Policy Map




 Source: 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report


 Source: Flickr, GadgetGirl


 Source: It Gets Better


 Source: Oakland Wiki Gentrification


Open data, 

open access, 

open source... 


Open what!?

open source



    def __init__(self, db_name=None):
        # specific database name specified
		if db_name:
			self.db_name = db_name

					# open MySQL connection
		self.db = DBConnect()


	def __is_installed(self, db_name):
		# Create database if it isn't there already
		# Need to check that this returns TRUE		return self.db.query(("SELECT SCHEMA_NAME FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.SCHEMATA WHERE SCHEMA_NAME = '%s';" % self.db_name))


 Source: Mozilla Firefox Repository


 Source: Android OS Developer Site

Open access


 Source: Open Access Button

Open government


 Source: NYC Open Data Portal


 Source: Influence Explorer




USING open data

Human centered design


Source: Human-Centered Design Toolkit






What's it all mean for me?



Take a minute...


add any new ideas 

about data you want



turn to a person next to you

  1. Introduce yourself
  2. Introduce your agency
  3. Brainstorm: What can you imagine doing if resources and technical expertise didn't limit you?

Data Justice


  • Orientation toward social justice in collection/creation, analysis and distribution
  • Community & organizational capacity building
  • Data Literacy






what dangers lie ahead?

being replaced


 Source: BAIR Analytics


big data is big money


 Source: Axciom

surveillance



 Source: FBI Vault




What's possible?




Fairy tales are more than true; 

not because they tell us that dragons exist, 

but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.


- G.K. Chesterton

DISCUSSION



Notes & Resources    bit.ly/JustDataPresentation 
 Slides    bit.ly/JustDataSlides

Me 
  alexfink.com 
  @alexfink

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