Posts Tagged ‘database’
From where? Validating data in the real world
By Anna Boiko-Weyrauch@AnnaBoikoW To understand your data, let’s go back to grade-school science class. Remember when you learned about the forest, and all the animals that call it home? The forest is a dynamic ecosystem. Your data is like a chimpanzee; it plays a role in the forest ecosystem. Over time, the changes in the…
Read MoreYear in CAR
By Jessica Pupovac@jessicapupovac IRE Executive Director Mark Horvit and training director Megan Luther led a whirlwind tour of 25 data-driven stories during their “Year in CAR 2011” presentation, paying special attention to those projects that reporters can and should attempt to “do at home.” Highlights in the “do-it-yourself” category included: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s piece on…
Read MoreLearning to liberate data
By Anna Boiko-Weyrauch@AnnaBoikoW Syntax error. What does this bit of code do? Syntax error. Let’s go back to the source. Syntax error. Maybe try this? After two hours of educated guesses, trial, error and some friendly help, Pam Dempsey, of cu-citizenaccess.org, and I had finally scraped our first bit of text: the word “2011” from a page of…
Read MoreExcel on steroids: NodeXL and PowerPivot
By Hilary Niles@nilesmedia Excel has two free, plug-ins for Windows users that can dramatically help reporters: NodeXL and PowerPivot. (Sorry Mac devotees, nothing for us.) Tom Torok, CAR editor of The New York Times, and Peter Aldhous, New Scientist’s San Francisco Bureau Chief demoed the two plugins at the 2012 CAR Conference. NodeXL is a network analysis tool compatible…
Read MoreMining social networks
By Jessica Pupovac @jessicapupovac One of the best things about social media for journalists, Doug Haddix said, is that most people don’t understand what’s private and what isn’t. “Too bad for them. But good for us.” Haddix said during his presentation on social media sleuthing. Haddix, who is the Director of the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism at Ohio State…
Read MoreFighting for open records in Spain
By Hilary Niles @nilesmedia Spain is an “information black hole,” journalist Mar Cabra said during the Against All -Spanish- Odds. She and software developer David Cabo are taking suggestions on how to fix that. Among the European countries with a population more than 1 million, Cabra said, Spain is the only one not to have…
Read MoreApproaching business journalism with a data state of mind
By Hilary Niles@nilesmedia When you think of a company, don’t think of something with a physical presence, like a storefront or a corporate headquarters. That’s just not how companies are organized these days, said Chris Taggart of OpenCorporates.org. And in many cases, he said, there’s simply no single entity that encompasses all of a corporation’s…
Read MoreDay one addendum
Changes to the printed program can be downloaded here. Printed copies are available at registration. The conference web pages will be updated to note any schedule changes, as well as the confernece blog.
Read MoreJoin IRE for trivia night at Hard Rock Cafe
What’s the one activity that says St. Louis? If you said trivia, you’re correct. So we couldn’t have NICAR here without a CAR-related trivia night. Grab three or four of your closest NICARians to form a team and join us at the Hard Rock Café at 7:23 p.m. Trivia begins at 7:30 and runs until…
Read MoreLearn about GIS at the Missouri Botanical Gardens
Photo credit:Missouri Botanical Gardens There’s more than flowers and sunshine at the Missouri Botanical Gardens — there’s GIS and other technology that aids the gardens in research, maintenance, education and more. Come see how this technology is being put to use with a special (free) tour just for NICAR attendees Saturday, Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. Space is…
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