As data scientists, we often get lost in the techniques and methods of our trade. In doing so, we can forget to ask important questions: who will be affected by our work? How we are ensuring that by doing ‘good’ for one group, we are not inadvertently harming another? Ethical controversies have dominated recent data [...]
Many cities are working to prevent the negative impacts of vacant buildings caused by population loss. Cincinnati is one such city, with a more than 40% reduction in population since 1950 and a large stock of historic buildings. This effect coupled with the housing crisis of 2008 has produced new challenges in Cincinnati and many [...]
Are you hearing a lot of data-themed buzzwords lately? Are you wondering whether the use of data science can help a project on which you are working? Using data makes it easy to prove the efficacy of a project and inform your decisions. More simply, data science is the process of taking all the data [...]
Zumpango is a municipality of roughly 500,000 residents 50 kilometers from Mexico City, what might be considered an “exurb” in the United States. Though settlements have existed in the region as far back as 200 BC, the town has recently experienced a population boom, more than doubling in size since 1990 as more Mexicans move [...]
Police departments around the country have been in the spotlight recently because of several controversial, high-profile incidents. Tragic events in Ferguson, New York City, Baltimore, and elsewhere have highlighted the need for police departments to better address the issue of adverse interactions between the police and the public. Many police departments are working hard to [...]
On Monday, Wisconsin governor and 2016 presidential candidate Scott Walker signed into law a bill banning non-emergency abortions past the 19th week of pregnancy. Unsurprisingly, Walker's move garnered support from one side, derision from the other, and media attention from both. However, journalists face a big hurdle when trying to provide context for a story [...]
Last year, in a move opposed by over 90% of Australian citizens, the Australian government under Prime Minister Tony Abbott formally requested the de-listing of the Tasmanian Wilderness as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Abbott administration wanted to revoke the status to allow logging within the protected area. If successful, the bid would have [...]
An adverse birth can have devastating personal, financial, and even developmental consequences for both mother and child. Individuals born at shorter gestation and lower weight than average have increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. Low birthweight and preterm birth have also been associated with poor non-health outcomes such as lower educational attainment and labor [...]
In 2005, Florida implemented a new "Stand Your Ground" law, which legally protected the use of deadly force in self-defense. The law, which removes the "duty to retreat" when a person is threatened with serious bodily harm, gained national attention after George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin in 2012. Soon after its passage in Florida, [...]
Reducing infant mortality, improving graduation rates for high school and first-generation college students, preventing home abandonment, and identifying legislative plagiarism are just some of the project goals for the 2015 Eric & Wendy Schmidt Data Science for Social Good Summer Fellowship. For fourteen weeks, 42 fellows in Chicago will work with nonprofit and government partners [...]