[melbourne-pug] mirror app [Was: Project time?]

[Mike Dewhirst]

Further to datasets, here is what the US government is doing ...

this is a blog post by the US federal CIO
    http://tinyurl.com/us-gov-datasets

and this is the sort of data they are releasing
    http://www.data.gov/

Mike

On 6/02/2010 4:25pm, Mike Dewhirst wrote:
> On 5/02/2010 3:36pm, Irae Hueck Costa wrote:
>>
>>
>> How about a little brainstorming and then we meet at some McDonalds?
>> Here an idea:
>> Feed the data into an artificial neural network (and make the found
>> patterns usefull for the everyday use?).
>
> Let's accept that the data sets currently available are less than great.
> If we assume (invent) some good data then we can write a winning
> application.
>
> We need to look past current datasets. If what we do is compelling
> enough it will eventually force the proper collection of useful data
> just so our application can reveal insights otherwise unattainable.
>
> I had discussions in 2007 with the Vic government about exactly this
> requirement. We agreed then that the objective should be to correlate
> information so that it is possible for policy makers to adjust something
> (a law, a tax, a handout, whatever) with a predicted outcome and for the
> system to demonstrate success or failure down the track.
>
> For example, let's say water consumption is particularly low in a
> partularly crime-ridden area. A policy maker might ease watering
> restrictions there with the expected outcome of greener gardens hoping
> community morale might pick up and the crime rate may drop. BTW if it
> worked it might have nothing to do with morale but rather the increase
> in casual employment for young gardeners.
>
> All of that is just ordinary. What we really need is the equivalent of
> time-lapse photography and data collected in lots of (de-identified)
> streams which are tied to geographic locations.
>
> Patterns of information in the environment indicate trends in society.
> We just need to see them in context to draw the correct insights.
> Remember New York's zero tolerance of graffiti co-inciding with a drop
> in homicides?
>
> So, I think our competition entry should be an API for a data
> visualisation app. Or a wrapper for an existing data visualisation tool.
> I want to see "time-lapse" mountains and valleys flowing across the
> screen so our policy makers can spot connections, freeze the frame,
> drill down and ponder. A mirror on society.
>
> We should be able to assume the existence of the NBN and widespread VPN
> access to databases hither and yon. For the competition we can
> manufacture whatever data we want for demonstration (actually testing)
> purposes.
>
> Mike
>
>
>
>> I dont think that this will give better results than other stochastic
>> methods, but it sounds fancy.
>>
>> Here some shorter python specific introduction to neural networks:
>> http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/l-neural/
>>
>> ps:
>> Maybe we should use some other way to communicate about this project so
>> we don`t flood the email incomming box of people who are not interested.
>>
>> > From: r1chardj0n3s at gmail.com
>> > Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2010 10:05:44 +1100
>> > To: melbourne-pug at python.org
>> > Subject: [melbourne-pug] Project time?
>> >
>> > Hi all,
>> >
>> > So this competition was just announced:
>> >
>> > http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/component/content/article/9300.html
>> >
>> > The short story being:
>> >
>> > 1. take 50 datasets like
>> > • Maps of local hospitals (http://www.health.vic.gov.au/maps/index.htm)
>> > • Crime statistics (http://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/myplace.html)
>> > • Water resources data (http://www.vicwaterdata.net/)
>> > 2. crank up a Pinax website (allowing us to focus on point #3)
>> > 3. present information from #1 in "interesting" ways
>> > 4. profit!
>> >
>> > So, who's interested?
>> >
>> >
>> > Richard
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > melbourne-pug mailing list
>> > melbourne-pug at python.org
>> > http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/melbourne-pug
>>
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>>
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