Data and Social Good

Data may indeed be the "new oil"—a seemingly inexhaustible source of fuel for spectacular economic growth—but it's also a valuable resource for humanitarian groups looking to improve and protect the lives of less fortunate people. In this O'Reilly report, you'll learn how statisticians and data scientists are volunteering their time to help a variety of nonprofit organizations around the world.

Mike Barlow cites several examples of how data and the work of data scientists have made a measurable impact on organizations such as DataKind, a group that connects socially minded data scientists with organizations working to address critical humanitarian issues. There's certainly no lack of demand for data science services among nonprofits today, because these organizations, too, realize the potential of data for changing people's fortunes.