The NHS regularly asks its patients to complete surveys reporting on the quality of care they have received. These surveys include opportunities for patients to submit feedback in their own words. Carol Rivas describes how computational and digital methods can be used to analyse and report patient feedback in an efficient and timely manner. However, it is important to recognise […]
Category: big data
When data science meets social sciences: the benefits of the data revolution are clear but careful reflection is needed
Contemporary social sciences unquestionably benefit from the growing accessibility and availability of data sources, and the impressive developments in computational tools for data collection and analysis. However, Marta Stelmaszak and Philipp Hukal emphasise the importance of continued careful reflection when using new forms of data and methods. Any analysis of data requires reflection on the agency that went into defining, […]
Metadata is the key to collaboration and a national bibliographic knowledgebase
The British Library has partnered with Jisc, Research Libraries UK (RLUK) and the Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL) to create a national bibliographic knowledgebase (NBK). Neil Wilson outlines why such an initiative is necessary, explaining the implications of a hybrid print/digital marketplace, and how the rapidly evolving digital landscape has not been matched by a parallel development in […]
Excel is threatening the quality of research data — Data Packages are here to help
This week the Frictionless Data team at Open Knowledge International will be speaking about making research data quality visible at the International Digital Curation Conference (#idcc17). Dan Fowler looks at why the popular file format Excel is problematic for research and what steps can be taken to ensure data quality is maintained throughout the research process. Our Frictionless Data project aims […]
2016 in review: round-up of our top posts on big data
The Next Decade of Data Science: Rethinking key challenges faced by big data researchers The vast availability of digital traces of unprecedented form and scale has led many to believe that we are entering a new data revolution. Will these new data sources and tools allow us to improve business processes in transformative ways? Vyacheslav Polonski argues that the more […]
Measuring and engineering influence on social media: what does this mean for political power?
In 2016, the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump resolutely demonstrated the political power of social media. David Beer asks how we might better understand ‘influence’ in the machinations of social media, and how this influence might be harnessed by those in, or seeking, office. One of the most interesting features of the new types of social media analytics […]
Git for Data Analysis – why version control is essential for collaboration and for gaining public trust
Openness and collaboration go hand in hand. Samuel Payne describes how scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are working with the Frictionless Data team at Open Knowledge International to ensure collaboration on data analysis is seamless and their data integrity is maintained. I’m a computational biologist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), where I work on environmental and biomedical […]
What does Big Data mean to public affairs research? Understanding the methodological and analytical challenges
The term ‘Big Data’ is often misunderstood or poorly defined, especially in the public sector. Ines Mergel, R. Karl Rethemeyer, and Kimberley R. Isett provide a definition that adequately encompasses the scale, collection processes, and sources of Big Data. However, while recognising its immense potential it is also important to consider the limitations when using Big Data as a policymaking […]
Algorithmic accountability in scholarship: what we can learn from #DeleteAcademiaEdu
The controversy surrounding Academia.edu highlights the flaws and limitations of existing scholarly infrastructures. Jean-Christophe Plantin explores the intersection of algorithms, academic research and platforms for scholarly publications. He argues that there is a need to develop a values-centred approach in the development of article-sharing platforms, with suitably designed algorithms. The networking and article-sharing platform academia.edu has been at the centre of a controversy in […]
From Computing Clerks to Androids: Two bits on the material lives of social data in India.
The social and material conditions of data collection have a significant bearing on how we think about and understand data. Sandeep Mertia looks at the history of data collection in India and how the conditions have changed over time. From the work of the eminent statistician and founder of the Indian Statistical Institute, Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, to the now large scale surveys conducted through […]