News
Algorithms in the Public Sector Conference
January 15, 2019
A December conference co-presented by CSDA offered a range of perspectives on the use of algorithms in the public sector, including keynotes from international experts who have commissioned, developed and assessed the ethics of, public sector algorithms.
Meet the AUT Students Working at CSDA
November 15, 2018
A new appreciation for the role of data analytics in improving people’s lives has been a revelation for one of CSDA’s recent recruits.
Read the full November eNews edition
“Decision Making: Human vs Machine” (free public lecture)
November 7, 2018
This December, Stats NZ and CSDA are presenting a free lecture hosted by international tech ethics expert Lorena Jaume-Palasi. With a background in founding ethics organisations including AlgorithmWatch and the Ethical Tech Society, and consulting to numerous governments and organisations in this space, Jaume-Palasi will present her experiences and recommendations.
Talking Predictive Risk Modelling in Denver: Rhema Vaithianathan at the 2018 Alliance Conference
October 29, 2018
CSDA Co-Director Rhema Vaithianathan spoke about predictive-risk modelling in Denver earlier this week. Her presentation included an overview of her work and how predictive-risk modelling will aid Douglas County in making better decisions in the child welfare sector.
CSDA takes a collaborative role in new US research centre
October 8, 2018
CSDA Co-Director Rhema Vaithianathan will be collaborating with the newly-established Center for Innovation in Child Maltreatment Policy, Research and Training (CICM) at Washington University of St. Louis.
Talking predictive analytics with Australian researchers, government
September 18, 2018
CSDA co-director Professor Rhema Vaithianathan had the opportunity to lead an Australian roundtable about the use of predictive analytics for positive impact in September.
CSDA research in upcoming Child Wellbeing Research Seminar (Wellington)
August 29, 2018
Matt Walsh, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Data Analytics (CSDA), will share new research on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) at a Child Wellbeing Research Seminar hosted by the Ministry of Social Development in Wellington on 11 September.
Seeking feedback on the NZ Guidelines for Trusted Data Use
August 20, 2018
A year after the launch of the draft NZ Guidelines for Trusted Data Use: ‘A Path to Social Licence’, the authors have begun to explore how useful the Guidelines are for organisations, and what updates may be needed.
Helping Government to develop Algorithm Guidelines
August 14, 2018
The Government Chief Data Steward, Liz McPherson, has commissioned Professor Rhema Vaithianathan, co-director of the Centre for Social Data Analytics at AUT, to review international guidelines for the government use of algorithms, and help develop a ‘best practice’ approach for New Zealand.
Meet the Team: CSDA's Research Fellow Oleksandr Fialko
August 13, 2018
A background in physics is an essential tool for Oleksandr Fialko who joined CSDA last year as a Research Fellow in Data Science and is working to improve the accuracy of models being used to predict child welfare outcomes.
Researchers ask 2000 trainee doctors what it’s like to walk in their shoes
July 23, 2018
Researchers working with Health Education England (HEE) in the Wessex region have launched a study that aims to understand how doctors in training in the area experience their working lives.
"Bias Detectives: the researchers striving to make algorithms fair" -CSDA’s work in Nature news
July 3, 2018
In late June, an in-depth article and podcast about the CSDA’s work on the Allegheny Family Screening Tool were featured on the Nature news website.
CSDA shares child welfare predictive risk modelling work in Chile
June 6, 2018
Professor Rhema Vaithianathan, co-director of the Center for Social Data Analytics, recently gave a keynote address on child welfare predictive risk models at the Adolfo Ibáñez University (UAI) in Santiago, Chile.
International project explores social impact of algorithms
May 17, 2018
A project led by CSDA’s Co-Director Rhema Vaithianathan, is exploring community perspectives on the use of algorithms by government in New Zealand and the United States.
Surprising findings about interventions helping sick workers
April 17, 2018
A forthcoming paper in Labour Economics finds that, overall, providing sick workers with more intensive interventions worsened their labour market outcomes.
Social Workers in Schools evaluations: A use case for IDI but we can do more
April 5, 2018
A study co-authored by CSDA researchers has identified positive effects for some student groups from the government-funded Social Workers in Schools (SWiS) programme. The paper is the first of two studies recently published by the Ministry of Social Development.
CSDA eNews - April 2018
April 5, 2018
CSDA’s research and analytics tools are used by local and international agencies to support smart policy and sound decision-making in areas including health and social welfare. This issue: CSDA risk modelling in The New York Times, funding award to study community perspectives on government use of algorithms, CSDA papers in Children And Youth Services Review, Pediatrics and American Journal of Public Health and meet CSDA Senior Research Fellow Matt Walsh.
Full house for Wellington workshop on child poverty, risk and resilience
March 3, 2018
There was a great turnout at CSDA’s recent Wellington workshop, attended by individuals from thirteen government agencies and several private sector organisations.
Analysis of screening tool wins best paper award at international fairness conference
February 15, 2018
A paper that analyses the application of risk modelling to child maltreatment screening decisions will receive a best paper award at the 2018 Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAT*) in New York in late February.
"Can an Algorithm Tell When Kids are in Danger?" - our research in the NYT
January 12, 2018
An in depth feature about a CSDA research project, the Allegheny Family Screening Tool (AFST), ran in the New York Times Magazine in January.