Data for Good: Using Data for the Greater Good
A blog about information,storing and using data for a higher purpose.
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Data Science Done Right
May 18, 2020
In the last few years, everyone has been talking about data science and artificial intelligence. They have become buzzwords in the last decade. This is not really surprising since data science is at the heart of AI and many other fields. However, it wasn’t always this way. The field gained popularity due to its applications in machine learning or ML. In particular, it helps to develop predictive models based on large amounts of data and statistics. For example, AI can be used to predict the weather or even detect cancer. It can automate processes that were once done by hand. Thanks to deep learning and neural networks, it can do this with minimal human input. You’ve probably used a number of these applications without even knowing it.
In spite of all these benefits, there are still some concerns regarding data science. What if it leads to job losses? What if technology gets out of hand? Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate these risks so that data science can help people more than harm them. Let’s take a look at some examples:
Data for Good: Using Data for the Greater Good: A blog about information, storing and using data for a higher purpose.
Data For Good is a blog about how to use data to help people. We write about data science, data mining, and how to use technology to make a positive impact on the world.
Why? Because we believe that data can be used for good as well as evil. Data is not inherently good or bad. It’s just information. But it’s what we do with that information that matters. And there are many ways we can use data for good rather than evil.
What kind of posts do we publish?
We publish posts about things like:
Volunteer matching
Using machine learning to find cures for cancer or Alzheimer’s disease
Using text mining to analyze aid agency effectiveness or disaster preparedness and response plans
Using social network analysis to understand how people respond in an emergency situation and how they connect with each other under stressful circumstances
Data for Good is a blog about information technology, storing and using data for a higher purpose.
This blog is hosted by Rackspace, the service leader in cloud computing. We’re here to talk about how big data can make a difference in the world around us.
Whether that means using data to track human trafficking patterns or developing an app to connect with local volunteer opportunities, we want to show you how companies can use technology to solve some of today’s biggest problems.
Data for Good: Using Data for the Greater Good
A blog about using data for a higher purpose.
25 Feb 2013 by Chris Wiggins
This is an open letter to my colleagues in industry, academia, and government. I’m writing it because I’m worried that our field is damaging itself through the growth of a culture that values personal reputations over the good of society. That we’re losing sight of why we got into this in the first place – to do something good with data.
I am a mathematician and a data scientist who spends roughly half my professional time in industry, half in academia. I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the best folks in the business, on problems ranging from algorithmic trading at a hedge fund to social media analytics at one of the largest media companies in the world. In both settings, I see serious misallocations of resources, driven by our obsession with building personal brands, by our own fears (and those of our organizations), and by a failure to learn from other fields who have gone through similar journeys.
Data for Good: Using Data for the Greater Good. Data is everywhere and we are surrounded by it. But, how many of us actually use it to do good? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and I want to talk about how data can be used for good.
Data has long been used to make predictions and help businesses make decisions. Using data for good is all about using data for social impact or to help others. It’s an area that’s slowly gaining traction in the world of data science. It’s also an area that’s important to me, so I wanted to write about it and discuss some of my favorite initiatives.
Data can be used to help people out of poverty, find cures for diseases, develop better education systems, create more efficient transportation systems and so much more! The possibilities are endless, but data alone isn’t the answer. There are lots of other variables that need to be considered so that data will actually have an impact on society. By using data wisely, we can make a big difference in the world and solve some big problems!
I’ve included a few links below with more information on this topic if you’d like to learn more about using data for good.
Data For Good, a blog series on how information can be used to help the world is written by the Data Science team at Squirro.
The blog covers topics like data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and data visualization. The mission of the blog is to explore how these technologies can be used for the greater good. The focus of the blog is on how data science and machine learning can help solve some of the biggest challenges in society today.
In this article I will highlight a few articles from Data For Good that have caught my attention and are worth reading if you are interested in the intersection of technology and society.
Data for Good: How to Use Machine Learning for Charity Donations
This article explores how machine learning can be used to help charities make better decisions about where to allocate their resources. The article highlights a research project that used machine learning models to analyze several years of data from a charity organization based in Germany and make recommendations about which projects should be supported or discontinued based on their historical performance.
Data for good can be described as the use of data, statistics and information to do good in the world. There are many organizations doing great work in this space and I will cover some of them here.
The idea of using data for good is not new. One of the earliest forms of data use started in 1854. This was when John Snow used maps to help fight cholera. His map showed where cases of cholera were located in London and helped identify the source of the outbreak. You can see his map below:
Today, organizations are using technology to improve the lives of people all over the world. UN Global Pulse is an organization that uses big data for social good. They believe that “big data has the potential to transform how we understand and address some of today’s greatest challenges.”
One way they are doing this is through their project Data for Climate Action (D4CA). D4CA was created to bring companies together with academic researchers, non-profits, government agencies, and others to better understand how climate change will affect people around the world and how we can take action now to lessen its effects.
They have identified five focus areas that they believe will positively impact climate change: agriculture; coastal communities; energy & transportation; finance