Day 59 - Image Data, Linked Data, and Geographic Data - 11.09.15

Unit 3 - Raining Reigning Data

The goal of this lesson is for you to be able to learn from and communicate with large sets of data. You will handle some relevant data: the Census reports family and money data for your community; trends with your name are public record. But anything can be datafied! Computing has automated data collection. Aim the magic wand, and anything you love in life can produce terabytes to be analyzed. The impact on the workplace is profound; anything that was worth doing before is now worth examining under the lens of Big Data, and data scientists are sought from every corner of the job market.
The collection of Big Data does pose societal concerns for some. Once collected, data might live forever. How do you want your data treated?
We'll use Python to make useful graphic representations of data. We'll work from familiar ways of showing data to more unusual and creative ways of communicating information in pictures.

The goal of Unit 2 is for students to have a more concrete understanding of the Internet as a set of computers exchanging bits and the implications of these exchanges. Students use PHP and SQL to structure and access a database hosted on a remote server, learn how HTML and CSS direct the client computer to render a page, and experiment with JavaScript to provide dynamic content. The focus of the unit is on the protocols that allow the Internet to function securely to deliver social media and eCommerce content. Students work briefly in each of several Web languages to understand how the languages work together to deliver this content. The history and workings of the Internet are explored, and issues of security, privacy, and democracy are considered. Practical cyber security hygiene is included. Career paths in cyber security, web development, and information technology are highlighted.