2020 Big Data Virtual Showcase

 

As the first case of coronavirus COVID-19 infection was detected in late January 2020, and rising to several infected cases within a few weeks, the landscape of public universities in California suddenly changed in the spring semester of 2020. With uncertainty building in the community due to the news of the impending pandemic, the necessity to transition to online created an opportunity to rethink how we communicate and collaborate with non-profits and community partners. The pandemic offers us a chance to build a better world by using big data; and we should seize this opportunity.

This virtual showcase is our commitment to share our work and products with the public and support our students as changemakers in their own communities. The showcase will highlight the student projects from 6 courses that used the City of LA’s data portal and Geohub, and worked closely with non-profit organizations, which encompassed one or all of three themes: Social Justice, Urban Environment, and the Arts. In one semester, our students learned GIS skills to produce a quality product. The faculty and student work connect with big data audiences, non-profits, government organizations, and visitors, that can lead to new knowledge and future collaborations.

We celebrate the accomplishments of our Big Data faculty and students, and look forward to a continuing collaboration with the city of Los Angeles.

Participating Nonprofits (Spring 2020)

We are appreciative of the intentional collaboration with non-profit organizations that support the mission of the NSF/NSS big data grant. Our continuing partnerships with community organizations are the strength of this big data grant-program, and this relationship provides students with real-life opportunities to create solutions for existing societal issues.