This fall, Julie Kanzler will be offering a module in the National Capital Region (NCR) focused on Smart Data for Smart Cities. A description of the module can be found below.
Title: UAP 5424: Smart Data for Smart Cities (module in NCR)
Instructor: Julie Kanzler
Meeting times: 5:00-8:00 PM on Friday, October 27th and 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday, October 28th, 2017
Meeting place: 1021 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA
Description
This module will probe behind the buzzwords to expose students to “smarter” uses of data for cities. Especially when the civic community is engaged in the process, there are many opportunities for using data analytics and visualization to make government work better. However, it’s important to temper this optimism with a clear picture of the pitfalls of data visualization inference. In the first half of the module, the instructor will draw from first-hand experience and Smart City cases to share examples that illustrate the need for this balanced perspective. The second half covers clear strategies for critical data interpretation and clear presentation. Students will also receive hands-on exposure to several popular online visualization tools. The material is presented in plain language and designed for students with a humanities background.
Julie Kanzler
Julie Kanzler manages Washington DC’s Data APIs and Systems program for the Chief Data Officer and is a member of DC’s Open Government Advisory Group and its working group on the Transparency and Understandability of Data. Her team of data professionals is responsible for developing data dashboards and administering the systems behind DC Open Data. Ms. Kanzler is a passionate public servant who believes in the effectiveness of civic engagement and the value of good data use. She has 20 years of experience as a data professional, most of it in an urban setting. She has worked to promote good data in the technology offices of the DC and Alexandria City governments and performed analysis on cities as diverse as Worcester, MA and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. She has a B.A. in Geography from Clark University and an M.A., in Geography with a focus on urban geography, quantitative analysis and modeling.
Ralph P Hall 