News
Getting the Best out of Big Data: A Conversation
August 1, 2017
CSDA Co-Director Rhema Vaithianathan will talk about the risks and opportunities of big data as part of a panel conversation at AUT City Campus on Thursday 3 August.
Rhema at Refactor: Building Movements not Monuments
July 28, 2017
CSDA Co-Director Rhema Vaithianathan spoke recently at Refactor, a regular event that aims to improve the New Zealand tech industry by “inspiring women to not only stay in it but get to the top”.
Child Protection and the Promise of Predictive Analytics
July 7, 2017
In a recently published research paper, CSDA co-director Rhema Vaithianathan and co-authors argue the case of predictive risk modelling as an alternative to existing methods of screening and triaging children and their families in cases of alleged maltreatment and neglect.
CSDA Co-director appointed to Integrated Data Advisory Group
June 15, 2017
Statistics New Zealand has appointed CSDA co-director Tim Maloney to the government’s existing Integrated Data Advisory Group (IDAG), which will advise the department on how to best promote the use of integrated (linked) data.
CSDA eNews - May 2017
May 23, 2017
CSDA is growing fast and we’re excited to see our work beginning to make a real difference and our research helping to inform policy and planning. In this issue of CSDA eNews - our latest research insights, CSDA data scientist Diana Benavides Prado explains her prediction risk modelling work, and a snapshot of our new projects in the UK, US and NZ.
Meet the Team: CSDA data scientist Diana Benavides Prado
May 18, 2017
Data scientist Diana Benavides Prado joined CSDA last year and her current focus is on improving the accuracy of the Allegheny Family Screening Tool, which has been implemented by Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services in the US to help child protection staff in making referral decisions.
Developing the Allegheny Family Screening Tool
April 27, 2017
A report on the methodology of the Allegheny Family Screening Tool is now available on Allegheny County’s website. This report details the considerations and decisions made during the development and implementation of the tool, providing a snapshot of the project at its current status.
Researchers find Teen Parent Units have positive impact
April 12, 2017
New Zealand teenage mothers with access to Teen Parent Units (TPUs) had better educational outcomes than those with no access, according to empirical research co-authored by AUT economists.
Rhema Vaithianathan: Data - the heavy lifting can be done blind
April 7, 2017
Rightly, the idea of our personal data being collected or passed on, without our permission, has a tendency to spark alarm in New Zealand. But the good news is that, when it comes to data analytics, we can achieve an astonishing amount without the need for personalised data.
CSDA workshop features empirical economic papers on children and youth
March 20, 2017
In February 2017, the Centre for Social Data Analytics hosted our second workshop. We enjoyed presentations from local and international researchers on the topic of children and youth.
Presentations from the workshop are available here.
Research explains racial differences in maltreatment reporting
February 20, 2017
The age and marital status of parents explains racial disparities in Child Protective Service (CPS) involvement, according to a study co-authored by Tim Maloney and Rhema Vaithianathan.