Association of Public Data Users 2013 Annual Conference

2013 Conference Logo

George Washington University
800 21st Street NW | Continental Ballroom, 3rd floor | Washington, DC
September 16-17, 2013

Agenda (PDF)   •   Speaker List   •   FAQ (PDF)

For the producers and users of public data, these are not times for “business as usual.” Founded almost 40 years ago when computer media was just beginning to transform the data world, APDU has remained at the cutting edge of data dissemination and user processing. This conference offers insights about data collection, design and delivery technologies, strategies for addressing data quality concerns, and creative applications of public and private data tools.

Agenda

Monday, September 16, 2013

8:00-8:30 am – Continental Breakfast
Room: Continental Ballroom
8:45-9:00 am – Welcome Speakers
Room: Grand Ballroom
Speakers:
Warren Brown, Senior Research Associate, Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research, Cornell University, President, APDU
Garry Young, Interim Director, George Washington Institute of Public Policy
9:00-10:15 am – Using Open Data for Local Policy and Planning
Room: Grand Ballroom
Data scientists are working on creative new data mining, machine learning, big data, and data tools with the goal of having social impact. This session will focus on new ways of using public data – available in local, state, and federal agencies – can be used to support local policymaking and planning.
Moderator:
Warren Brown, Senior Research Associate, Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research, Cornell University, President, APDU
Speakers:
Elizabeth Accetta, Section Chief, Census Bureau — Presentation: The Census of Governments: Cautionary Tales in Analyzing Government Data
Jonathan Auerbach, Legislative Financial Analyst, New York City Council — Presentation: Using Open Data for Local Policy and Planning
10:15-10:45 am – Morning Break
Room: Continental Ballroom
10:45-12:00 pm – Social Media Data as a Public Data Resource
Room: Grand Ballroom
Social media is transforming the way people interact and communicate. Now it is becoming an important information resource for a wide variety of topics—health, communications, economic activity and many other questions. As the lines blur between public data, “big data,” crowd sourced data, and other non-traditional data collection techniques, this session explores basic questions about the usefulness, accuracy, quality, and impact of social media-derived data.
Speakers:
Michael Paul, Doctoral candidate, Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University — Presentation: Data Mining Social Websites for Public Health
Paul Hitlin, Senior Researcher, Pew Research Center, Project for Excellence in Journalism — Presentation: Twitter and Public Opinion
Thomas Levine, Data Scientist, Instructor at Zipfian Academy — Presentation: Computers are Cheap
Mark Silverberg, Cofounder and Lead Engineer, Social Health Insights — Presentation: Social Media Data as a Public Data Resource
12:00-12:45 pm – Networking Break/Lunch
Room: Continental Ballroom
12:45-1:20 pm – Keynote Lunch Presentation: Big Data, Public Data, and the Democratization of Analytics
Room: Grand Ballroom
At the intersection of Big Data and Public Data are exciting opportunities in data analytics. Blending high quality government statistics with organic Big Data can add value to decision-making. Data users must learn new skill sets in data analytics and business intelligence beyond those skills required for traditional data scientists. Learn more about how approaches to data dissemination, partnership development, and tools must respond to new analytic consumerism.
Speaker:
Joan Naymark, Director, Minnesotans for the American Community Survey MACS
Dean Stoecker, Chairman & CEO, Alteryx, Inc. — Presentation: Big Data, Public Data & the Consumerization of Analytics & Big Data Analytics for Dummies
1:30-2:45 pm – Breakout Sessions
  1. Housing Data Breakout: Understanding Housing and Mortgage Markets
    Room: 307
    Policy analysts, researchers and practitioners need quality data to monitor the pace and nature of the housing recovery. Several federal data sources examine different sectors of the housing markets and how different populations and geographic areas are affected. The session features a new Location Affordability Index from HUD that encompasses housing and transportation costs for neighborhoods across the nation; updates about the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data on mortgage loans and borrowers; and the forthcoming National Mortgage Database that for the first time tracks mortgage performance over time linked to borrower information.
Moderator:
Susan Ockert, President, SO Consulting
Speakers:
Ren Essene, Senior Policy Analyst, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Jessica Russell, Research Analyst, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — Presentation: The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) and Website: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/hmda/
Natalie Wowk, Presidential Management Fellow, HUBZone Program, Small Business Administration — Presentation: The Location Affordability Portal
Robert B. Avery, Project Director for the National Mortgage Database, Federal Housing Finance Agency — Presentation: The National Mortgage Database (NMDB)
  1. Health Care Breakout: Understanding the Impacts of Health Care Spending
    Room: 308
    The health care sector has become a sizable part of the U.S. economy. Understanding data available on health care spending can be critical for policymakers and economic analysts. What new or emerging data can help economists, policy makers and the public understand the implications of health care sector growth?
Moderator:
Erin Holve, Senior Director, Academy Health
Speakers:
Edward Salsberg, Director, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis — Presentation: Health Workforce Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities
Herbert Wong, Senior Economist, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality — Presentation: The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
Cathy A. Cowan, Economist, Office of the Actuary, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — Presentation: National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA)
2:45-3:15 pm – Afternoon Break
Room: Continental Ballroom
3:15-4:45 pm – Breakout Sessions
  1. Research Methods Breakout: Adapting Survey Designs in a Rapidly Changing World
    Room: 307
    “Adaptive design” may be a key to success for managing survey operations in a rapidly changing world. What exactly does “adaptive design” mean and how will it affect Census Bureau surveys in the future, especially for the 2020 Census? Learn lessons from the National Survey of College Graduates about the promise this method holds in making surveys more cost effective while maintaining accuracy as well as about the technical and organizational challenges.
Presenters:
Michael Thieme, Chief of the Center for Adaptive Design, U.S. Census Bureau
Peter Miller, Chief of the Center for Survey Measurement and Chief Scientist, Center for Adaptive Design, U.S. Census Bureau
Ben Reist, Survey Director for the National Survey of College Graduates, U.S. Census Bureau
Presentation: Adaptive Survey Design in a Repidly Changing World
  1. Transportation Breakout: New Sources of Transportation Data
    Room: 308
    Smart phones, traffic sensors/monitors and other technologies have the potential to transform the landscape for transportation data. This session will look at the big data available to support transportation planning and examine what is available, review how quality concerns are being addressed, and what can be learned from federal transportation data for other data fields.
Moderator:
Elaine R. Murakami, Community Planner, Federal Highway Administration
Speakers:
Erika McEntarfer, LEHD Research, U.S. Census Bureau — Presentation: Big Data Research & Development @ Census: Local Employment Dynamics
Catherine T. Lawson, Associate Professor, State University of New York, Albany — Presentation: Big Data – Big Challenges
5:00-7:00 pm – Networking Reception
Tonic, 2036 G Street NW (3rd floor lounge)

 

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

8:00-8:30 am – Continental Breakfast
Room: Continental Ballroom
9:00-10:00 am – Plenary Presentation: The American Community Survey: New Developments and Innovative Applications
Room: Grand Ballroom
In partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau, the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and Sabre Systems have created a new American Community Survey (ACS) Data Users Group. This session will provide a brief overview of that group’s purpose, structure, and activities. The session will also review new, innovative applications of ACS data.
Moderator/Speaker:
Linda Jacobsen, V.P., Domestic Programs, Population Reference Bureau — Presentation: The American Community Survey Data Users Group
Speakers:
James Treat, Chief, American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau — Presentation: The American Community Survey: New Developments and Innovative Applications
Dr. Christopher Emrich, Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute, University of South Carolina — Presentation: Understanding Social Vulnerability in an ACS World: Creating Metrics and Measures from the ACS and Decennial Census
10:00-10:30 am – Morning Break
Room: Continental Ballroom
10:30-11:30 am – Breakout Sessions
  1. Data User Breakout: Demonstration of ACS Data Users Online Community
    Room: 307
    Learn how to join the new ACS Data Users Group. This session will showcase a number of resources (e.g., webinars, conferences, and presentations) designed to share information and provide feedback on ACS data.
Moderator:
Linda Jacobsen, V.P., Domestic Programs, Population Reference Bureau
Speakers:
Mark Mather, Associate V.P., Domestic Programs, Population Reference Bureau
Ed Spar, Principal Researcher, Sabre Systems
The ACS Data Users Group web site
  1. Research Tools Breakout: Getting Behind the “Firewall”: Accessing Restricted Public Data
    Room: 308
    Researchers are seeking increasingly detailed data from micro-data versions of public use files. However, producers that provide such data must restrict access to protect respondent confidentiality pledges. While a stand-alone computer in a locked room offers data security it does not enhance access by researchers. In this session, we’ll hear about innovative solutions that more effectively advance the dual goals of improved researcher access and enhanced respondent confidentiality.
Speakers:
Timothy Mulcahy, Principle Research Scientist, NORC at the University of Chicago — Presentation: Mulcahy Presentation
Bryan Beecher, Director, Computing & Network Services, Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research — Presentation: Getting Behind the “Firewall”: Accessing Restricted Public Data
Warren Brown, Senior Research Associate, Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research, Cornell University, President, APDU — Presentation: Why Restricted Data?
11:45-12:30 pm – Keynote Speaker
Room: Grand Ballroom
Speaker:
John H. Thompson, Director, U.S. Census Bureau
12:30-1:15 pm – Networking Lunch
Room: Continental Ballroom
1:30-2:45 pm – The Road Ahead: The Challenges Faced by Federal Statistical Agencies
Room: Grand Ballroom
In this session, senior leaders from five federal statistical agencies will discuss the issues and opportunities facing their agencies in light of the current policy environment, continual advances in information technology, and changes in social norms.
Moderator:
Andrew Reamer, Research Professor, George Washington Institute of Public Policy, George Washington University
Speakers:
John (Jack) Galvin, Deputy Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor
John Gawalt, Director, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Science Foundation
Patricia Hu, Associate Administrator and Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation — Presentation: Collaborative, Open, and Virtual: Opportunities for Transportation Statistics
Steve Landefeld, Director, Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce — Presentation: Improving the Economic Measurement Toolkit: Partnerships between Data Suppliers, Users, and Federal Statistical Agencies
Nancy Potok, Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer, Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce
2:45-3:15 pm – Afternoon Break
Room: Continental Ballroom
3:15-4:00 pm – Defining the Data User Advocacy Agenda
Room: Grand Ballroom
Building from the previous session, APDU will ask audience members to divide into small group discussion sessions to review, discuss, and rank the most critical issues facing the data agencies. The groups will also be asked to identify best practice approaches to engaging users, building collaborations, and educating policymakers. These ideas will be reported back for discussion to guide input and provide recommendations for action by the APDU’s Board.
Facilitators:
Warren Brown, Senior Research Associate, Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research, Cornell University, President, APDU
Ken Poole, Chief of Staff, APDU
Notes: Advocacy: The Challenges Faced by Federal Statistical Agencies and Data Users
4:00 pm – Conference Adjourns