Transportation & Communities Summit 2019

Shaping a City with Open Data

Across the world, the Open Data movement is growing and more and more cities are releasing data to the public.  As citizens push for more openness, it is fair to ask: what can we do with all of this data to make our cities better?  In this talk, Ben will explore how he uses his blog, I Quant NY, and some data science techniques to make changes in the city he lives in: New York City. From parking ticket geography, to restaurant inspection scores to subway and taxi pricing, he will discuss best practices for data science in the policy space, explore how story telling is an important aspect of data science and highlight the various data-driven interactions he's had with City agencies that have led to infrastructure and policy changes. Along the way, Ben will point out that data science need not always use complicated math and complex programs. He will show examples of the power of simple arithmetic, and show how often it is more about your curiosity and the questions you ask than the complexity of the equations you use.

In addition to being a data scientist and policy analyst, Ben also teaches improv! On the second day of the Transportation and Communities Summit, Ben will be leading a workshop on "Cultivating Leadership Skills through the Power of Improv" (Sept. 20; 9AM - 12PM) at PSU. Add-on workshops are available for an additional cost, and are also open to non-Summit Day (Sept. 19th) attendees.