Preview of Alberta Open Data Summit and mini-Datathon on Ft. McMurray Fires

A number of Calgarians will be presenting at the Alberta Open Data Summit in Edmonton on Oct 14 and #Data for Good will be organizing a mini-Datathon on Oct 15. This meetup will be a great opportunity to get a preview. For more info on the Summit and to register visit http://albertaopendatasummit.ca/

Fracking and Earthquakes – What’s the Risk? – presented by Alastair Muir

Using a variety of public data sources, a firm link between hydraulic fracturing and seismic activity has been established in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. Now that operators and the AER are on the lookout, we will show how existing real time data can be used to warn of the increased risk of >4 magnitude quakes during fracking. I will show how to combine earthquake data, public fracking records, well locations and some fancy statistical wizardry to forecast (not predict) the increase in seismic risk while fracking. It’s worked pretty well for data from Fox Creek.

Developing a Non-profit Data Strategy for Alberta – panel hosted by Geoff Zakaib

There is a growing awareness of the importance of data in the non-profit / volunteer / social sector. The sharing of data across organizations in the sector has the potential to be a powerful enabler for social innovation. This is the backbone of the open data movement – by sharing data we can see larger patterns (trends, barriers, opportunities, successes) and develop actions in response. This feeds into more thoughtful, responsive and consistent innovation with data providing the feedback to advance outcomes. It is this ability to both unlock and share knowledge that is critical to developing solutions to complex problems.

In Alberta we need to build a foundation to support shared and open data in the sector. This panel discussion will feature representatives from the public, private and social sectors providing their perspectives on the value of developing a non-profit data strategy for Alberta and their insights on how to move this initiative forward.

Mini-Datathon on Crisis-211 call data from Ft. McMurray Fires – organized by Data for Good

This is a first-ever attempt to look at data collected before, during and after the Ft. McMurray fires to more fully understand the widespread impacts. Using a data driven approach we can learn from this event and help others prepare for major crises.  Working with Crisis-211 call data from Some Other Solutions in Fort McMurray, Canadian Mental Health Edmonton, and the Calgary Distress Centre, we are looking to use analytics and visualizations to help these organizations develop insights on how the three communities were impacted as a result of one single wildfire event.