In this advanced course you will learn the skills to navigate the world of big data by accessing and analysing administrative, commercial and attitudinal information. The course will also address some of the ethical and methodological issues surrounding big data.

Course date:

9.30am–4.30pm 27 October 2015

Venue:

#132 Crawford Building, Lennox Crossing, ANU

Enrol:

T 02 6125 2154
E csee@anu.edu.au

Cost:

$1,100 GST incl; Group discounts applicable

Course overview:

Data is created every time a person interacts with government, and a person’s interaction with social media and other commercial organisations also creates information that, if used properly, can inform the policy process. This has always been the case.

However, improvements in storage and computing power, alongside advances in analytical techniques means that our ability to makes use of such information is greater than ever before. We no longer need to throw away any information and instead can select a sample size of ‘all’, putting us in the era of ‘big data’. Although in many ways, advances in computing and analytical capability have moved well beyond the ability of policy to integrate all the information and data at our disposal.

The aim of this course is to equip policymakers with the skills and confidence to operate in the world of ‘big data.’ The course will begin with a discussion of the main types of data that we might call ‘big’. This includes administrative, commercial and attitudinal data. The course will then discuss the different types of analytical techniques required for data at scale and the assumptions underlying them. In the final part of the course, participants will be exposed to some of the ethical and methodological discussions around ‘big data’ that policymakers and researchers are engaging in, both in Australia and abroad.

The introductory course (Using data to understand society and the economy) and intermediate course (Using data to answer policy questions) are not formal pre-requisites to attend this course, but are recommended for those who have limited experience in quantitative analysis.

Course convenor:

Dr Nicholas Biddle has extensive experience with the development and use of official statistics with a strong background in statistical and quantitative methodology. A Fellow in the Research School of Social Sciences at ANU, he recently returned from a working stint at Stanford University. Nicholas worked for seven years in the Methodology Division of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), developing and using official statistics. He is an engaging and enthusiastic presenter with a consistent research and teaching focus on the application and policy relevance of empirical data.