Past Event! Note: this event has already taken place.
Open Projects at DEIL (Data Exploration and Integration Lab): Open buildings, open businesses and a Linkable Open Data Environment
March 13, 2019 at 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM
| Cost: | Free |
Abstract
Over the last few years, the Data Exploration and Integration Lab (DEIL) at Statistics Canada has conducted an increasing amount of work with open data using various open source tools in an open ecosystem. This exploration and experience has given rise to the idea of using an “open project” approach. This seminar presents examples and outcomes of “open projects” at DEIL, that is, projects that, to the extent possible, make use of open software, open code, open standards, open data, and open project management tools. It also outlines how DEIL is now exploring integration of open databases through the development of a Linkable Open Data Environment (LODE). To date, achievements include the completion of openly licensed databases of virtually all building footprints across Canada, in collaboration with Microsoft, and preliminary versions of open databases of business, educational facilities, hospitals and addresses. Further, these open databases are providing insights on the potential of data value multiplication through stakeholder use and enrichment of the original baseline datasets.
Biography
Alessandro Alasia is Chief of the Data Exploration and Integration Lab (DEIL), at the Centre for Special Business Projects, Statistics Canada. He has been working full-time at Statistics Canada since 2007. Prior to that appointment, he led several research projects with the Agriculture Division (Statistics Canada) and the Rural and Cooperatives Secretariat (AAFC) as consultant and post-doctoral fellow. Since 2017, he is Chair of the Working Party on Territorial Indicators at the OECD. Alessandro also worked as consultant in agriculture and rural development research projects, mainly in Southern Africa, with international organizations and national cooperation agencies. He has taught at the graduate and undergraduate level at the University of Bologna (Italy), the Eduardo Mondlane University (Mozambique), and the International Comparative Rural Policies Studies program. Alessandro graduated in Economics from the University of Torino (Italy), earned a MSc from the School of Specialization in Agriculture Economics and Business of the Catholic University (Italy), and a PhD in Agricultural Economics with specialization in Rural Studies from the University of Guelph.