Organizational Projects on Kailas Venkitasubramanian

UI Reproducibility Project

Sat, 31 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Summary

Background

Diverse research backgrounds, skills and operational practices make our institute versatile and nimble to address research problems that crosses several domains. But they also enabled research analytical practices to remain fragmented and inefficient.

The Urban Institute data science team recognized the significance of reproducibility in analytical community research practice on two distinct contexts. 1) Operational efficiency via streamlined use and reuse of data, analytical tools and assets 2) developing a culture of transparency and trust that underpins reproducible research whose products become fully replicable and auditable.

QoL Data Pipeline Automation

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Making pipelines to the quality of life explorer seamless

CRDT Data Infrastructure Project

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Summary

Background

The Charlotte Regional Data Trust (formerly Institute for Social Capital) (CRDT) is an integrated data system housed in the Urban Institute that enables acces, use and governance of administrative microdata for research that addresses community issues and solutions.

The Data Trust embarked on a significant data infrastructure upgrade after recognizing the need to scale and transform the unit’s ability to serve a greater, more diverse pool of research problems and organizations. More significantly, the existing data management and analytics practice required significant revamp to efficiently fulfill data requests and conduct research projects.

UI Data and Analytics Guide

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Summary

Objective(s) and Scope

The project aims to create a comprehensive guide to all operational processes of the the Urban Institute, serving as a primary point of reference for all research staff in managing data and analytical resources of the institute.

The manual will be created using Rmarkdown, a tool that allows for the creation of rich, interactive documents. The manual will be hosted as a website that can be easily updated and maintained by team members.

CRDT Anonymization and Privacy Project

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Summary

Objective(s) and Scope

The project involves the development and implementation of protocols and best practices in privacy for data dissemination, including statistical disclosure control procedures of the integrated data system hosted by CRDT. This includes creating guidelines for data collection, storage, and dissemination, as well as implementing robust technical measures to prevent unauthorized access and disclosure of sensitive information.

The project will start with a comprehensive review of current privacy practices and identification of areas that need improvement. Based on this review, a set of protocols and best practices will be developed and incorporated into the organization’s data management processes. This will include the implementation of statistical disclosure control procedures to protect sensitive information. Training sessions will be conducted to educate employees on the new privacy protocols and best practices.

CRDT Technical Operations Manual

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Summary

Objective(s) and Scope

The goal of this project is to create a comprehensive technical operations manual that documents all operational processes of the Charlotte Regional Data Trust The manual will serve as a single point of reference and provide clear, up-to-date information on all operational procedures.

UI Analytics Ecosystem

Sun, 13 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Summary

Objective(s) and Scope

The project aims to modernize Charlotte Urban Institute’s research analytics ecosystem and improve data analysis productivity and processes.

Key Activities include:

Data Storage and Access: Organize and standardize data storage and access to ensure consistency and efficiency in data analysis.
Code Library: Develop a reusable code library to improve productivity and teamwork among data analysts.
Analytical Tools: Identify and organize tools and techniques to make the analytical process more efficient.

CRDT Data Documentation Project

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Summary

Objective(s) and Scope

The project seeks to enhance the quality and completeness of CRDT’s data documentation, and establish a centralized and organized infrastructure for storing and managing metadata.

The project includes reviewing the existing metadata, developing standardized data documentation (metadata, codebook, data dictionary), and implementing a data infrastructure for storing and organizing metadata for all databases.

Expected Outcomes

Improved data documentation quality and completeness.
Consistent and standardized data documentation across all databases.
A centralized and organized infrastructure for storing and accessing metadata.

Charlotte Equity Indicators Project

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

CRDT Data Integration Project

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Summary

Background

This is part of the CRDT Data Infrastructure project

Objective(s) and Scope

This project aims to develop improved data integration mechanisms for CRDT’s data assets, ensuring accurate and consistent data integration. This involves the development of an entity resolution framework and the implementation of probabilistic record linkage techniques to enhance the CRDT’s data integration processes.

The project will start with a comprehensive review of CRDT’s current data integration mechanisms and identification of areas for improvement. Based on this review, an entity resolution framework will be developed to ensure accurate identification of entities across different data sources. Probabilistic record linkage techniques will be implemented to link records from different data sources and provide a unified view of the data.