Support the Data Challenge at JSM 2015

The Government Statistics Section (GSS) will sponsor a data challenge in 2015. The contest, which challenges participants to analyze a public data set using any statistical and/or visualization tools and methods, is open to anyone, including college students and professionals from the private or public sector.

The data set is the U.S. Census Bureau’s tract and block planning databases.

Eight contestants will present their work in two sessions during JSM 2015 in Seattle. Four will give oral presentations in a topic-contributed session, while another four will give poster presentations as part of the GSS speed session.

There will be two $500 awards given, one for students and one for professionals.

The topic-contributed session is scheduled for August 12 from 2:00 p.m.–3:50 p.m. and includes the following presentations:

  • Tailoring Outreach to Boost Mail Self-Response in Geographic Areas with Similar Low Response Rates —Darryl Creel
  • Exploring the Census Bureau’s 2014 Planning Database Using Topological Data Analysis—Robert Baskin
  • Informing Natural Disaster Response with Census Data —Jonathan Auerbach
  • Optimizing Survey Cost-Error Tradeoffs: A Multiple Imputation Strategy Using the Census Planning Database—Shin-Jung Lee

The speed session will take place August 12 from 8:30 a.m. –10:20 a.m. and include the following presentations:

  • Who Are the Nonvoters?— Bingchen Liu 
  • Census Tract-Level Disparities: Examining Food Swamps and Food Deserts—Lucy D’Agostino McGowan
  • Exploring the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem—Talha Ali
  • Determinants of Poverty in U.S. —Guillermo Basulto-Elias

We hope you will support Data Challenge 2015 by coming to these sessions in Seattle.