Data Analysis

commentary

ChatGPT's Work Lacks Transparency and That Is a Problem

In a world with Large Language Models such as ChatGPT, there is a growing need for modernized data literacy. Developers need to be more transparent about their algorithms and data sources so that people can assess the inherent sources of bias or problems with the approach.

Carter C. Price @CarterCPrice

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Addressing Gun Violence Requires Better Means of Measuring It

Proposals to reduce firearm violence in the United States are often controversial, sometimes because there are no data demonstrating their effectiveness. The federal government has many of the requisite tools in place to collect the data, and it does it well on a wide range of other problems. Shying away from measuring this problem may also make it more difficult to fix it.

Rosanna Smart @RosannaSmart, Andrew R. Morral @AndrewMorral

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Hackathon Focuses on Making Policing More Equitable

Hackathons bring new ideas and perspectives to hard policy problems and introduce college students to the field of policy analysis. The latest hackathon, hosted by Pardee RAND and RAND NextGen, explored ways to make the criminal justice system more equitable and more effective.

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Algorithms Teach Us Why Equity Is Hard

If all the shortcomings of humanity were stripped away, equity would still be an elusive goal for algorithms for reasons that have more to do with mathematical impossibilities than backward ideologies. But even if attaining equity is fundamentally difficult, seeking it is not futile.

Irineo Cabreros

blog

Media Literacy, Internet of Bodies, Arctic Governance: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on teaching media literacy in schools, a “connected future” via the Internet of Bodies, gaps in Arctic governance, and more.

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Equitable Data Analysis: Lessons from a COVID-19 Research Collaborative

The health inequities exposed by COVID-19 underscored the importance of collecting race-stratified data to inform local policymakers. For the public health researchers trying to provide that, the pandemic also revealed some major pitfalls, especially about relying on open-source data.

Linnea Warren May @LinneaKWMay, Jason Beery, et al.

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Mobile Health Surveillance Is Here to Stay, So How Do We Protect Privacy?

Mobile phone surveillance can augment public health interventions to manage COVID-19 and might help countries prepare for the next outbreak. But these programs collect sensitive health and behavior data. That raises significant risks to personal privacy and civil liberties.

Benjamin Boudreaux

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COVID-19's Effects on U.S. Schools, Vaccine Uptake, Small Businesses: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how COVID-19 has affected U.S. schools, potential barriers to vaccine uptake, what small businesses need to survive, and more.

q&a

Modeling the Future of COVID-19: Q&A with RAND Experts

The phrase “flatten the curve” familiarized Americans with epidemiological models used to estimate virus transmission, cases, and potential deaths from COVID-19. But new models are needed as the country enters a different stage of the crisis.

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Don't Make the Pandemic Worse with Poor Data Analysis

The need for immediate answers in the face of severe public health and economic distress may create a temptation to relax statistical standards. But urgency should not preclude expert analysis and honest assessments of uncertainty. Mistaken assumptions could lead to counterproductive actions.

Matthew D. Baird, David G. Groves, et al.

q&a

Searching for Truth: Q&A with Jennifer Kavanagh

Senior political scientist Jennifer Kavanagh helps lead RAND's work on Truth Decay, the diminishing role of facts and analysis in American public life. In this interview, she discusses her latest research on how news presentation has changed over time and across platforms.

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RAND's Analysis of News in the Digital Age: Three Takeaways

How has the rise of digital technology shaped the way that news is presented? RAND researchers conducted an empirical study to find out. Here's what you need to know from their findings.

essay

Big Data, Big Questions

RAND-Lex is a computer program that can scan millions of lines of text and identify what people are talking about, how they fit into communities, and how they see the world. The program has shed light on how terrorists communicate, how the American public thinks about health, and more.

commentary

What Data Is the Government Keeping About You?

Governments are amassing a wealth of data on citizens, a trend that will continue as technology advances. But with no reliable way to ensure that the data is accurate, risks abound. In the criminal justice system, for example, poor quality data could affect individual freedoms and employability.

Dulani Woods, Brian A. Jackson

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No Company Should Be Able to Keep You from Checking Your Government's Math

Data and computer models are becoming more and more important for making policy decisions on everything from prison sentences to tax bills. But citizens should be able to “check the math” on decisions that affect them.

Brian A. Jackson

blog

The Art of Data in Baseball

The traditional baseball scout's keen eye is no longer deemed sufficient to rate talent, said Jeff Luhnow, general manager of the Houston Astros, at RAND's Politics Aside event. Analysts check curveball spin rates, computer-modeled swing mechanics, and even sleep habits.

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Following Online Footprints to Catch Terrorists

Millions of people leave behind online footprints each day, giving law enforcement and intelligence experts the chance to construct a profile of who is more likely to commit violence in the name of a murderous ideology.

Isaac R. Porche III, Colin P. Clarke

commentary

How Do We Deal with a Flood of Data?

Despite the value of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems, the amount of data they generate has become overwhelming. If the Navy does not change the way it processes information, it will reach an ISR “tipping point”—as soon as 2016.

Isaac R. Porche III, Bradley Wilson, et al.

commentary

Why 'Big Data' Can't Find the Missing Malaysian Plane

The failure to find the missing aircraft demonstrates anew the serious gaps in data coordination and challenges public assumptions about the thoroughness and simplicity of searching the world’s data for answers.

Isaac R. Porche III

commentary

Predictive Policing: An Effective Tool, but Not a Crystal Ball

Predictive policing is not an end-all solution, but rather a tool that must be used in concert with other policing resources as part of a broader anti-crime effort. Used properly, predictive policing can predict the risk of future events, but not the events themselves.

Walter L. Perry, John S. Hollywood @JohnS_Hollywood