On October 14, less than two short weeks from now, one of the largest gatherings of federal communicators will descend upon the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington D.C. for GovDelivery’s 8th Annual Communications Summit. Looking to uncover the mystery of how individual agencies can harness data to influence change and get people to act, the attendees will spend the morning hearing from the brightest pioneering minds in big and open data.
Our opening keynote, Jer Thorp, a data artist and Data Artist in Residence at The New York Times, is co-founder of The Office for Creative Research. His work focuses on adding narrative meaning to huge amounts of data. Through cutting edge data visualization techniques, Thorp helps people and organizations take control of the information that surrounds them, using technology and data as a new way to tell stories.
Thorp’s art brings big data sets to life, combining state-of-the-art science with a natural interest in the human condition. His “Cascade” project at The New York Times visualizes the sharing of content through social media, offering tremendous insight into the way we use digital networks to share, influence, and connect with others.
Abhi Nemani is the chief data officer for the city of Los Angeles. He will share tactics and stories about how government agencies are getting the most value out of their data and how they are using that data to build strong communities with important and meaningful information. Nemani will offer insight into how federal agencies can piece their digital strategies together in a way that makes sense for citizens and how they should approach their existing connections to create interfaces that create an opportunity for civic up sells –getting people that are interfacing with you in one way to consider working with you in another way. In a world where it’s hard to get people’s attention, Nemani will share his secret for making things happen.
Both big data and open data can change the world, but when government turns big data into open data, it’s powerful and the possibilities are endless.
Want to learn more? Anyone interested in attending can register for this year’s summit at https://govdelivery.com/federalcomms14/.
