New York Times: How High Tech Is Transforming One of the Oldest Jobs: Farming. “The drive to increase productivity is urgent in all phases of agriculture…. Yet growing crops has historically been an uncertain enterprise, a livelihood that increasingly depends on forecasts of weather conditions, commodity prices and complex factors like maturity index and projected yield. Agriculture is seen as an industry ideally suited to large-scale data collection and analysis, and technology companies more closely associated with databases and computer hardware are seeing opportunities.”
data analysis
SwissInfo: Study finds Big Data eliminates confidentiality in court judgements
SwissInfo: Study finds Big Data eliminates confidentiality in court judgements. “Swiss researchers have found that algorithms that mine large swaths of data can eliminate anonymity in federal court rulings. This could have major ramifications for transparency and privacy protection.”
National Library of Scotland: Data Foundry launched
National Library of Scotland: Data Foundry launched. “The new Data Foundry site presents Library collections as data in a machine-readable format, widening the scope for digital research and analysis. Techniques like content mining and image analysis can now be carried out using the Library’s collections.”
University of Alberta: First global open-source database for spinal cord injury research will be a ‘game-changer,’ say experts
University of Alberta: First global open-source database for spinal cord injury research will be a ‘game-changer,’ say experts. “Experts from the University of Alberta and two universities of California are teaming up to launch the world’s first open-source database for spinal cord injury research. The Open Data Commons for preclinical Spinal Cord Injury research (ODC-SCI) will improve research and treatment worldwide by making data more accessible, according to researchers and patients.”
StateScoop: Crowdsourced environment data gets a home on Louisville Data Commons
StateScoop: Crowdsourced environment data gets a home on Louisville Data Commons. “The ‘Louisville Data Commons’ repository, announced by the University of Louisville on Tuesday, is an open-data website that will incorporate data contributions from residents and researchers to keep track of the city’s environmental and health-related measurements. The community-gathered data will be available for research for a minimum of one year, according to the site, while some larger, frequently updated data sets will be available indefinitely.”
University of Southern California: Tackling Lack of Diversity in Genetics Research
University of Southern California: Tackling Lack of Diversity in Genetics Research. “Genotyping, or determining which genetic variants an individual possesses, has paved the way for understanding how common variations in our DNA can be associated with health conditions like heart disease and diabetes. The hope is to determine your risk of developing a disease and, hopefully, prevent it. But if you’re not white, the science may fall short.”
NHS Data: A £9.6 Billion Treasure Trove? (CBR)
CBR: NHS Data: A £9.6 Billion Treasure Trove?. “NHS data – held in some 55 million patient records – could be worth £5 billion each year to commercial partners, consultancy EY said in a new report published Friday, highlighting a further £4.6 billion in annual potential benefits to patients if the datasets of the single largest integrated health care provider in the world were put to use.”
