Living In Data
I had the pleasure of going down to Austin, Texas last weekend for the second iteration of Spark Camp, an intimate gathering of forward-thinking professionals working in journalism, technology, public policy, government, mobile, private and public sector agencies and other areas of digital media. The camp featured a weekend of conversation, where 80 participants gathered to discuss a single topic and brainstorm new ways of solving problems or of providing access to information. This weekend, the focus was data.
It is easy to look at data as something static or boring. Ostensibly, data shows us truths. Get the data, show the data and keep it clear — those are the rules. However, there is a lot more that goes on with the collection and distribution of data than you may suspect, layers and layers of planning and strategy and contextualizing and reassessing. The process of getting quality data to those who can benefit from it most is complicated and built from the work of a great many dedicated people.
Good data is first a good idea. There is a story that needs to be told, and in order to tell the best story possible, something quantitative must be added. The first step is picking what data best helps that story. Whether it’s crime statistics for a journalist, or gadget performance for a tech writer, the vast field of potential data has to be whittled down to what is most useful. And this is no easy task; a great clarity of curation is needed.
Once it is clear what data the story needs, the next step is collecting that data. This data can be collected specifically for the story, but often exists elsewhere, which does not make things easier. Not surprisingly, given the power of data, those who have it, guard it and mete it out carefully. And also not surprisingly, those who have it, often have it scattered, unfiltered or in disrepair. Data collection is a challenge to find what is needed, to secure what is needed and then to properly clean what is actually received so that it becomes what is needed.
Now we have our cleaned data. We set out to tell a story, decided we needed to back it up with something quantitative, figured out exactly what we needed, went through whatever set of hurdles to get it, cleaned away all the bad practices and noise around it and finally have our data set, ready to put into the story. Now what?
Presenting data in a narrative means more than copying and pasting some cells from a spreadsheet or a simple chart. Data presentation involves figuring out when and where to give what detail and which format displays the information most clearly. Just because numbers are involved doesn’t mean a story is not being told and just like with any story, presentation and careful editing are key.
Finally, there is the step which I can only describe as “beyond!” There is so much data on the Internet now, that those who are truly on the cutting edge are getting through the steps outlined earlier without much thought. Sure, a lot of time and care are put in, but the real brainwork comes in finding the edge of what is possible with the data presented. How can it be best disseminated? How can it be made living and adaptable to the story it relates to? How can it be shared with others who could make use of it? How can it be properly cited? How can it be contextualized for longevity? Regardless of the type of data or its original function, clean data should be preserved and kept usable for anybody else who needs it. It is a waste of manpower otherwise. The data should not die with the story.
Living, collaborative data seems to be the future for journalists of all types (citizen, vocational, tech, news, blogger). I left the weekend energized with the knowledge that even in a process that seems so tedious and mechanical as data collection, there are those with a passion to continue to make the process better and ultimately the product more useful and more human. After all, we use data to explore the world outside of the library, where things are messy and people have not gotten there before us. It is like with any story: we perceive, filter, clean, share and then live in the relationship born of that sharing. And that also seems like a perfect way to describe my weekend.
-JO
