Data Science, no doubt about it
I love a good podcast so when I found one which links to data storytelling obviously it went straight on my list. Not only is it a great listen there's also loads to learn from as analysts seeking to ensure …
How we work
Are Freedom of information requests like a box of chocolates?
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act gives everyone the right to request any recorded information held by public authorities. At Essex County Council we can receive as many as many as 2,000 requests in a year, each varying in the …
Forecasting the impact of Covid-19 on Public Sector Services
Anyone that knows me knows that I have a love-hate relationship with forecasting (similar to Tottenham & Ivory Coast fullback Serge Aurier). (And (***shameless plug alert***) you can find out why by watching this video presentation!). It essentially boils down to one …
Catapult Data Science Fellowship
When I first started the Data Science Fellowship project, I wasn’t sure whether my own expectations would align with the COVID-19 distorted reality. I was joining the ECC as a ‘Data Science Fellow’, with all the impostor syndrome that accompanies such …
Shooting for the Moon
As year one of the Essex Centre for Data Analytics (ecda) draws to a close, I find myself pausing to reflect on the past 12 months. Earlier in July, ecda published a video that highlighted some of our successes from …
Three heads are better than one (unless you are shopping for hats)
Because of my role-slash-job-title everyone wants to talk to me about their data work. ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the time… And it’s not just people in my team (the excellent Analytics & Data Science team), it is other teams at Essex County Council, …
Be Part of the Equation
Sowing the seeds: how we have grown, nurtured talent and built capacity for future success When we launched ecda one year ago, I never dreamt it would result in establishing so many new relationships, our partners now feel like an …
Clustering for understanding
Drowning in data and need to find a means of reducing it in a meaningful way?! It's a familiar feeling! We have thousands of data sets that tell us something about all the communities in Essex - but we can’t …
Get your rhythm back with RAP
“Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it the architect of accomplishment,” so says philanthropist Tony Robbins! In analytics there are certain tasks that are regularly repeated – processing raw data, running specific analyses, updating …
Geo-Spatial Analysis: Not Just A Pretty Picture
One good thing to have come out of lockdown has been the little bit of extra time to learn and test new things. I’ve spent a lot of my recent free time making the most of my DataCamp license, learning …