By Naomi Bloch This Wednesday, November 18, marks the 16th annual GIS Day. Throughout the week, Geothink will present a series of posts looking at some of the ways in which our collaborators, partners, and friends around the world are critically examining and using GIS as a tool for civic engagement and understanding. The community snapshots presented this week highlight diverse perspectives and uses … Read More
Geothink Student Evan Hamilton Explores Canadian Municipal Open Data and the Role of Journalism
By Naomi Bloch Data journalists are some of the most active users of government open data in Canada. In his recently defended thesis, Evan Hamilton, a master’s student in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information, examined the role of data journalists as advocates, users, and producers of open data. Hamilton’s thesis, titled “Open for reporting: An exploration of open … Read More
Journalism: Storytelling in the Geodata Age
By Noami Bloch The rise of more accessible geospatial web tools along with expanding sources of open data have fostered a potent—if somewhat techno-utopian—civic vision. For those immersed in understanding this new digital landscape, one question often surfaces: who’s truly putting these resources to use? The most reliable answer is perhaps an obvious one. “Journalists are making huge use of … Read More
Crosspost: Ryerson journalism and the Neptis Foundation partner to teach students data journalism
By Prajakta Dhopade I stared blankly at the rows upon rows of transportation statistics on my computer screen. My heart thudded in my chest, my eyes darted to my classmates’ faces. Did they get it? The numbers in the intimidating Excel spreadsheet I was scrolling through didn’t make much sense to me. I thought I’d left math class behind when … Read More