Data as a process

Making and remaking tools, datasets, and questions

Elizabeth Goodman

PhD candidate

UC Berkeley School of Information

www.confectious.net

@egoodman

About me

…plus Elizabeth Goodman and Andrea Moed

Data is made of people

Parkscan.org

Data is made of machines

“For the people in the community, the map is not the endgame.”

Thea Clay, February 10, 2011

Rethinking data-shaped relationships

Inside a server farm: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sterlingely/1418364

Cities (and data) are obdurate

http://flickr.com/photos/limonada/6270210/

AniqueHommels, Unbuilding Cities

Data as a process

Looking for non-users

ParkScan.org

Adele Clarke, Situational Analysis

Tactic 1: Remake the data

Non-users

Seeking new data cultures

Pelle Ehn and other writers

on participatory design

Tactic 2: Bark up a different tree

Data needs spokespeople

Bruno Latour, Science in Action

Tactic 3: Recruit allies

Working with obduracy

Data as totem,totem as object, object as process

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bellecouleurjewelry/5389482358/

Danny Miller, Materiality

http://blogs.nyu.edu/projects/materialworld/2010/10/

Totems, British Museum

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lodekka/5422557064/

Totem arts and crafts

http://www.flickr.com/photos/prayingmother/5414648626/

Thanks!

@egoodman

www.confectious.net

egoodman@confectious.net