https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu Civic Data Design Lab Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:13:05 +0000 https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu en https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/Menu Mon, 18 Jan 2021 01:47:57 +0000 Civic Data Design Lab https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/Menu <img width="17" height="13" width_o="17" height_o="13" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/68994d2a8d796da47b842f905609574101307d6af8ef93edd74dbb4159ea35ec/icon--menu-open.svg" data-mid="95464110" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/17/i/68994d2a8d796da47b842f905609574101307d6af8ef93edd74dbb4159ea35ec/icon--menu-open.svg" /> <img width="132" height="33" width_o="132" height_o="33" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e5bc35daff8f7beaf61ce06fce06d3524f41eee4313f4edf91a69c431678b837/cddl_logo_black.svg" data-mid="95462539" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/132/i/e5bc35daff8f7beaf61ce06fce06d3524f41eee4313f4edf91a69c431678b837/cddl_logo_black.svg" /> All Projects&nbsp;︎︎︎ Publications News About the Lab&nbsp;︎︎︎ Team Hiring Contact accessibility <img width="114" height="84" width_o="114" height_o="84" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cb37ad902be92f9589cf186c5bfcd2cf68cb4afc17cff9b600c4a7e19608e744/dusp_logo.png" data-mid="95465428" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/114/i/cb37ad902be92f9589cf186c5bfcd2cf68cb4afc17cff9b600c4a7e19608e744/dusp_logo.png" /> <img width="72" height="28" width_o="72" height_o="28" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/01ce1c508bbe3b888634a9e65e94defbc49bcbc650d8c97c458a0b0c130c5287/logo_sap_optimized_footer.svg" data-mid="95465381" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/72/i/01ce1c508bbe3b888634a9e65e94defbc49bcbc650d8c97c458a0b0c130c5287/logo_sap_optimized_footer.svg" /> <img width="283" height="150" width_o="283" height_o="150" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a8483716309f89d924a6a8127d957118ad2482beb13e3e31cb392388c859c3ba/mit_logo_std_rgb_silver-gray.svg" data-mid="224296347" border="0" data-scale="20" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/283/i/a8483716309f89d924a6a8127d957118ad2482beb13e3e31cb392388c859c3ba/mit_logo_std_rgb_silver-gray.svg" /> https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/all-projects Mon, 18 Jan 2021 08:48:55 +0000 Civic Data Design Lab https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/all-projects https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/publications Sun, 17 Jan 2021 01:33:38 +0000 Civic Data Design Lab https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/publications Publications 2026 Grounding infrastructure: community ownership of an international cooperation project in Kibera, Nairobi Sarah Williams and Gabriella Y. Carolini Planning Perspectives, 1–18. 2025 The Equitable Resilience Framework: An environmental justice strategy for community-led resilience planning Janelle Knox-Hayes, Surbhi Agarwal, Johan Arango-Quiroga, Nicholas Ashford, David Birge, Gabriella Carolini, Shekhar Chandra, Colleen Chiu-Shee, Jungwoo Chun, Daniela Coray, Nicholas de Monchaux, Sally Haslanger, Courtney Humphries, Eric Huntley, Caroline A Jones, Deni Lopez, Miho Mazeereuw, Leslie Norford, Prudence Robinson, Haley Schilling, Lawrence J. Vale, Sarah Williams, and Rose Winer-Chan World Development Perspectives, Volume 40 2025 Distance Unkown: Visualizing Migration: A Money Tapestry Sarah Williams Harvard Review of Latin America 2025 Striking a Pose: DIY Computer Vision Sensor Kit to Measure Public Life Using Pose Estimation Enhanced Action Recognition Model. Sarah Williams and Minwook Kang Smart Cities, Volume 8, Article 183. 2025 Vida Migrante: Empathy and the Migrant Experiences through Data Visualization Alberto Meouchi, Enrique Casillas, Sarah Williams 20th International Joint Conference on Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics Theory and Applications, Porto, Portugal 2024 People-Powered Gen AI: Collaborating with Generative AI for Civic Engagement Sarah Williams, Sara Beery, Christopher Conley, Michael Lawrence Evans, Santiago Garces, Eric Gordon, Nigel Jacob, and Eden Medina MIT, Exploration of Generative AI, Social Implications of AI 2023 Data-Driven Urban Development: Increasing Equity in Cities Justin Kollar, Niko McGlashan, and Sarah Williams Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University 2023 Spatial Equity in U.S. Cities: An Evaluation and Comparison of Equity Tools Niko McGlashan, Daniela Coray, and Sarah Williams. The 18th International Conference on Computational Urban Planning and Urban Management Proceedings, Montreal, Canada 2023 Exclusionary tales in Beirut’s spaces of craftsmanship: Using historic cartography, archival ethnography, and oral history to map the enduring vulnerability of craftspeople Carmelo Ignaccolo, Daniella Maamari, Ashley Louie, Azra Aksamija, and Sarah Williams Abstracts of the International Cartographic Association, Volume 6, pp. 97 2023 Using call detail records to determine mobility patterns of different socio-demographic groups in the western area of Sierra Leone during early COVID-19 crisis Yanchao Li, Ziyu Ran, and Sarah Williams Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, Volume 50, Issue 5 2023 Addressing Irregular Migration through Principled Programmatic Approaches: Examining the West Africa Route and WFP Operations Ambler, Kate, Alan de Brauw, Eduardo Maruyama, Sara Moussavi, Sarah Williams, and Ashley Louie Washington, DC, and Cambridge, MA: International Food Policy Research Institute and Civic Data Design Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2023 2023 Housing Markets, Residential Sorting, and Spatial Segregation Shin Bin Tan, Wenfei Xu, and Sarah Williams China Urbanizing: Impacts and Transitions 2023 Vida Migrante: Economic Inclusion of Venezuelan Migrants in Ecuador Dinucci, Alessandro, Luis Fernández, Crescenzo Rubinotti, Espedito Nastro, Sarah Williams, Alberto Meouchi, Ashley Louie, Rohun Iyer, Jari Prachasartta, Maria Gabriela Carucci, Enrique Casillas, Eric Lam, Christina Chen, Ilana Strauss, Sylvia Jimenez, Ethan Harrison, and Mauricio Darcourt Quito, Washington, DC, and Cambridge, MA: World Food Programme, USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, and Civic Data Design Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2022 Tourism Morphometrics in Venice: Constructing a Tourism Services Index (TSI) to unmask the spatial interplay between tourism and urban form Carmelo Ignaccolo, Yuke Zheng, and Sarah Williams Cities, Volume 140 2022 Advancing Racial Justice Research in Architecture, Urban Planning, and Allied Fields Williams, Sarah, Malhaar Agarwal, Devin Michelle Buten, Connie Choa, Catherine D'Ignazio, Vedette Gavin, Enjoli Hall, Holly Harriel, Eric Robsky Huntley, Sarah Rege, Anne Whinston Spirn, and Delia Wendel ACSA 110th Annual Meeting | Empower 2021 Charting a new regional course of action: The complex motivations and costs of Central American migration Ruiz Soto, Ariel G., Rossella Bottone, Jaret Waters, Sarah Williams, Ashley Louie, and Yuehan Wang Rome, Washington, DC, and Cambridge, MA: World Food Programme, Migration Policy Institute, and Civic Data Design Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2021 Using Public-Private Data to Understand Compliance with Mobility Restrictions in Sierra Leone Ndubuisi-Obi, Innocent, Ziyu Ran, Yanchao Li, Chenab Ahuja Navalkha, Sarah Williams, and Lily Tsai Springer International Publishing, in Urban Informatics and Future Cities, pp. 33-49. 2021 Applying Machine Learning and Geolocation Techniques to Social Media Data (Twitter) to Develop a Resource for Urban Planning Milusheva, Sveta, Robert Marty, Guadalupe Bedoya, Sarah Williams, Elizabeth Resor, and Arianna Legovini PLoS ONE 2020 Data Action: Using Data for Public Good S Williams MIT Press 2020 Can crowdsourcing create the missing crash data? S Milusheva, R Marty, G Bedoya, E Resor, S Williams, and A Legovini Proceedings of the 3rd ACM SIGCAS Conference on Computing and Sustainable Societies 2019 Smart and Safe Kenya Transport (SMARTTRANS) Guadalupe Bedoya, Arianna Legovini, Sveta Milusheva, Sarah Williams, Robert Marty The World Bank 2019 Ghost cities of China: Identifying urban vacancy through social media data S Williams, W Xu, SB Tan, MJ Foster, C Chen Cities 94, 275-285 2019 Evaluating sensors for the measurement of public life: A future in image processing S Williams, C Ahn, H Gunc, E Ozgirin, M Pearce, Z Xiong Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science 46 (8), 1534-1548 2019 Commuting for women in Saudi Arabia: Metro to driving-Options to support women employment S Williams, W Qiu, Z Al-awwad, A Alfayez Journal of Transport Geography 77, 126-138 2017 Understanding Gendered Spaces Using Social Media Data A Alfayez, Z Awwad, C Kerr, N Alrashed, S Williams, A Al-Wabil International Conference on Social Computing and Social Media, 338-356 2017 Informal 2.0: Seeing and Improving Urban Informal Practices through Digital Technologies The Digital Matatus case in Nairobi J Klopp, D Orwa, P Waiganjo Wagacha, S Williams, A White Field Actions Science Reports. The journal of field actions, 39-43 2017 Benchmark: using sensors to study public space MA Giampieri, S Williams, W Xu, H Gunc, CM Langston, DC Harvey Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G) Conference Proceedings 2016 Data Visualizations Break Down Knowledge Barriers in Public Engagement S Williams The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA 2016 Digital neighborhoods L Anselin, S Williams Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability 2016 Towards Urban Tribes in Saudi Arabia: Social Subcultures Emerging from Urban Analytics of Social Media Tariq Alhindi, Salma Aldawood, Jumana Almahmoud, Carlos Sandoval, Areej Al-Wabil, Mansour Alsaleh, Sarah Williams International Conference on Social Computing and Social Media, 258-266 2016 The lottery is a mathematics powerball V Lim, L Rubel, L Shookhoff, M Sullivan, S Williams Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School 21 (9), 526-532 2016 The responsive city: The city of the future re-imagined from the bottom up S Williams Emergent Urbanism: Urban Planning &amp; Design in Times of Structural and Systemic Change 2015 Digital Matatus: Using Mobile Technology to Visualize Informality Williams, Sarah, Jacqueline Klopp, Peter Waiganjo, Daniel Orwa, Adam White Proceedings ACSA 103rd Annual Meeting: The Expanding Periphery and the Migrating Center 2015 The Digital Matatu Project: Using Cell Phones to Create an Open Source Data for Nairobi's Semi-Formal Bus System S Williams, A White, P Waiganjo, D Orwa, J Klopp Journal of Transport Geography 49, 39-51 2015 Leveraging cellphones for wayfinding and journey planning in semi-formal bus systems: Lessons from digital matatus in Nairobi J Klopp, S Williams, P Waiganjo, D Orwa, A White Planning support systems and smart cities, 227-241 2015 Local Lotto: Mathematics and mobile technology to study the lottery V Lim, E Deahl, L Rubel, S Williams Cases on technology integration in mathematics education, 43-67 2015 More than data: working with big data for civics S Williams ISJLP 11, 181 2015 Maps, Mobile Tools, and Media Boards: Digital Technologies for Learning About Pawnshops L Rubel, V Lim, M Hall-Wieckert, S Williams International Society of the Learning Sciences 2014 Industry in motion: using smart phones to explore the spatial network of the garment industry in New York City S Williams, E Currid-Halkett PloS one 9 (2), e86165 2014 Toward open source Kenya: Creating and sharing a GIS database of Nairobi S Williams, E Marcello, JM Klopp Annals of the Association of American Geographers 104 (1), 114-130 2014 Towards a Standard for Paratransit Data: Lessons from Developing GTFS Data for Nairobi's Matatu System J Klopp, J Mutua, D Orwa, P Waiganjo, A White, S Williams Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual MeetingTransportation Research Board 2014 City Digits: Local Lotto: Developing Youth Data Literacy by Investigating the Lottery S Williams, E Deahl, L Rubel, V Lim Journal of Digital Media Literacy 2012 Here Now!: Social Media and the Psychological City S Williams Inscribing a Square - Urban Data as Public Space, edited by Katja Schechtner and Dietmar Offenhuber, Springer 2011 The emergence of Los Angeles as a fashion hub: a comparative spatial analysis of the New York and Los Angeles fashion industries S Williams, E Currid-Halkett Urban Studies 48 (14), 3043-3066 2010 The geography of buzz: art, culture and the social milieu in Los Angeles and New York E Currid, S Williams Journal of Economic Geography 10 (3), 423-451 2010 Two cities, five industries: Similarities and differences within and between cultural industries in New York and Los Angeles E Currid, S Williams Journal of Planning Education and Research 29 (3), 322-335 2006 Mobile landscapes: using location data from cell phones for urban analysis C Ratti, D Frenchman, RM Pulselli, S Williams Environment and planning B: Planning and design 33 (5), 727-748 2005 Understanding urban assets: using remote sensing to manage stormwater run-off SE Williams Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2003 Evolving metadata needs for an institutional repository: MIT's DSpace M Branschofsky, R Lubas, MK Smith, S Williams International Conference on Dublin Core and Metadata Applications, 237-238 Determining Trail and Snowmaking Locations for Cross Country Skiing in Bozeman, Montana: Site, Sun, and Suitability Analysis in GIS B Brush, S Williams https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/news Mon, 18 Jan 2021 05:28:50 +0000 Civic Data Design Lab https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/news News https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/about-the-lab Mon, 18 Jan 2021 07:25:16 +0000 Civic Data Design Lab https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/about-the-lab About the Lab “Big data” will not change the world unless it is collected and synthesized into tools that have a public benefit. The Civic Data Design Lab works with data to understand it for public good. We seek to develop alternative practices which can make the work we do with data and images richer, smarter, more relevant, and more responsive to the needs and interests of citizens traditionally on the margins of policy development. In this practice we experiment with and develop data visualization and collection tools that allow us to highlight urban phenomena. Our methods borrow from the traditions of science and design by using spatial analytics to expose patterns and communicating those results, through design, to new audiences. <img width="1746" height="1317" width_o="1746" height_o="1317" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8db4b5db9e47f4a4daea3f9dfe06a0f9694ac3e7de1087dace541d046952956a/data-action-diagram.png" data-mid="95473795" border="0" data-no-zoom alt="Data Action cycle, show" data-caption="Data Action cycle, show" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8db4b5db9e47f4a4daea3f9dfe06a0f9694ac3e7de1087dace541d046952956a/data-action-diagram.png" /> Through the years of work, we have developed a distinct methodology called Data | Action, which is a creative process that involves building, analyzing, communicating results, and then ground-truthing the findings through site visits and interviews, reworking the analytics based on the input all along the way. Data | Action is an iterative process as each action informs the next and the work evolves. The results generate policy debates, influence civic decisions, and inform design to help ensure that the voices of people represented in the data are heard. Data | Action asks advocates of big data analytics to rethink how they work with data to make the process more responsive to the people their work impacts. https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/Current-Members Mon, 18 Jan 2021 08:03:58 +0000 Civic Data Design Lab https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/Current-Members Team We are a group of multidisciplinary researchers enthusiastic about the intersection of data, design and cities. <img width="720" height="720" width_o="720" height_o="720" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/51a96b2a048ec4c26bc1fd858ccabf308891bd5e326d16b719547eea24323fe1/williams.jpeg" data-mid="95475725" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Sarah Williams, Director" data-caption="Sarah Williams, Director" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/720/i/51a96b2a048ec4c26bc1fd858ccabf308891bd5e326d16b719547eea24323fe1/williams.jpeg" /> <img width="960" height="960" width_o="960" height_o="960" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ea1fca37067034998ae8965019d2c35b076a586fa1d2a83af711e600fc73d672/ACL_headshot_sq.jpg" data-mid="233479904" border="0" alt="Ashley Louie, Research Associate" data-caption="Ashley Louie, Research Associate" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/960/i/ea1fca37067034998ae8965019d2c35b076a586fa1d2a83af711e600fc73d672/ACL_headshot_sq.jpg" /> <img width="637" height="637" width_o="637" height_o="637" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3b9bd7ecd2ea5ef06a73754ed757d4e9cd98331645993df580743194fc847c24/AM_square.jpg" data-mid="126081417" border="0" data-no-zoom="true" alt="Alberto Meouchi, Research Associate" data-caption="Alberto Meouchi, Research Associate" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/637/i/3b9bd7ecd2ea5ef06a73754ed757d4e9cd98331645993df580743194fc847c24/AM_square.jpg" /> <img width="1059" height="1058" width_o="1059" height_o="1058" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fa599ecf160d0a28c9b5bed1d0bc176c01ed25cdf49206c26accaf23d1a7ca62/GC.jpg" data-mid="233478980" border="0" alt="Maria Gabriela Carucci, Research Associate" data-caption="Maria Gabriela Carucci, Research Associate" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/fa599ecf160d0a28c9b5bed1d0bc176c01ed25cdf49206c26accaf23d1a7ca62/GC.jpg" /> <img width="730" height="730" width_o="730" height_o="730" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/428b6316fdda9386ff9444bd725e4d29e42432c42f1fd08433d57db193c021ee/mk_sq-01.png" data-mid="233479303" border="0" alt="Minwook (Min) Kang, Research Associate" data-caption="Minwook (Min) Kang, Research Associate" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/730/i/428b6316fdda9386ff9444bd725e4d29e42432c42f1fd08433d57db193c021ee/mk_sq-01.png" /> https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/Past-Members Mon, 18 Jan 2021 08:11:04 +0000 Civic Data Design Lab https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/Past-Members Past Members Andres Achury Chaewon Ahn Armin Akhavan Surbhi Argawal Pierre Beaudreau Octavie Berendschot Shin Bin Enrique Casillas Julia CamachoJon Campbell Jenny Chan Victor ChauYuchen Chai Christina ChenChangping ChenLiqun ChenPhil Cheng Yu Jing ChenNatalia CoachmanSamantha Rebecca CohenHeather Craig Gatlen Culp Mauricio Darcourt Erica DeahlLee Dwyler Doris Duanmu Emily Eros Zhuangyuan Fan Amy FangMichael FosterMario Giampieri Jonathan Goh Sophia GulaidHayrettin Gunc Amber Guo Dylan HalpernDennis Harvey Rohun Iyer Adam JanickiPrabhakar KafleAdham KalilaGriffin KantzCortni Kerr Kadeem KhanZoë Kuhlken Esther Kim Eunsu Kim Laura Kim Yuan Lai Ganapathy LakshminarayananChristine LangstonThuy Le Yanchao LiYi LiSarah Littlefield Niko McGlashan Idélcia Mapure Tess McCannKaruna MehtaJessica Carolyn Myers Karyn Nakamura Chenab NavalkhaBilly Ndengeyingoma Carlos Olascoaga Innocent Ndubuisi-Obi Jr Ege Ozgirin Michael Pearce Wenzhe Peng Zach Postone Jariyaporn Prachasartta Rida Qadri Ziyu Ran Sarah RegeLindiwe Rennert Lyel Resner Elizabeth Resor Jonah RogoffAlicia RouaultKaz SakamotoAkemi Sato Huiwen Shi Shi Tang Ziyi Tang Melissa Teng Chris Van AlstyneElena Vanz Antares VillanedaAngela WangYuehan WangPrathito WisambodhiZhekun Xiong Wenfei Xu Qianqian ZhangSophia Zheng Siqi Zhu <img width="23" height="33" width_o="23" height_o="33" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b315fee942b0e1bbbda80e100d58b20b7feb2af8104a549b03db2492d56f5d0c/flower.svg" data-mid="95477307" border="0" data-no-zoom src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/23/i/b315fee942b0e1bbbda80e100d58b20b7feb2af8104a549b03db2492d56f5d0c/flower.svg" /> In memory of Kate GoldsteinOur friend and research collaborator, Kate Goldstein passed away in 2014 during an energy workshop in India. Kate's death deeply saddened everyone at the Lab, and her enthusiasm and positive energy will be greatly missed. https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/hiring Sun, 17 Jan 2021 01:35:58 +0000 Civic Data Design Lab https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/hiring Hiring Research Associates Full Time : Civic Data Design Lab&nbsp; There are currently two Research Associate positions open two work on various projects.&nbsp; Job Description:MIT’s Civic Data Design Lab (CDDL) is seeking a research associate to join their team whose work with data through data visualization and mapping techniques aims to examine, expose, and communicate urban patterns and policy issues for the public good. This position will manage multiple projects intersecting data, design, and the city. Please see the types of projects here : https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/ . They will work in close collaboration with the Director of CDDL, and will provide regular updates on research progress. In addition to undertaking research and design work, they will be responsible for overseeing and providing guidance to RAs, and students working on projects assigned to them. Other responsibilities may include coordinating and preparing grant proposals, maintaining the CDDL Amazon servers and GitHub site, and contributing to communication materials. The research associate will be expected to build a publication record through both traditional and non-traditional outlets. We have four exciting projects currently underway that the research associate will get involved in 1) Release #2 of the mapping site that evaluates Spatial Equity in New York Cit.y 2) Bench Mark - an experimental project that uses street furniture to measure the dynamics of public space. 3) A project mapping the current migration crisis in the US. 4) A project examining the intersection of the Large Language Models, Cities, and Climate Change. The lab has many long-standing projects in Nairobi, Kenya and Mexico City that a Research Associate might get involved in as well.&nbsp; Qualifications:A Master’s degree or terminal degree in architecture, urban design, urban planning, or geography or a related field of study, and 2 or more years of direct experience are required. Skills in web development involving programming skills such as javascript, responsive design, D3.js, web mapping, and web frameworks. Familiarity with data analysis (i.e. python, R, stats), GIS. Please Contact Sarah Williams (sew@mit.edu) with a Cover Letter and CV/Resume to apply. Part Time UI Developer : Civic Data Design Lab MIT’s Civic Data Design Lab is seeking a part-time UI developer interested in creating data-driven applications that feature dynamic graphics, interactive charts, maps, diagrams, animations, etc. The developer will be working with data researchers and designers and will have access to data sets that needs to be visualized. An extensive description of the functionality of the visualizations and the visual aesthetics will be provided. Together with your application, we’d highly appreciate a link to your portfolio, or any sample code you’ve written for interactive visualizations before. This position will be for 20 hours a week. We may consider two 10 hour a week positions if we have strong candidates, but would prefer 20 hours a week. It is easier for coordination.&nbsp; Required: At least 2 years experience developing interactive user interfaces and/or computer graphics Extensive experience working with HTML+CSS, SVG and/or Canvas Solid understanding of JavaScript Proven experience with these: d3.js JQuery Node.js Extra: Basic design skills Databases experience (SQL and/or noSQL) Experience with GIS and mapping APIs Please Contact Sarah Williams (sew@mit.edu) with a Cover Letter and CV/Resume to apply. https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/contact Sun, 17 Jan 2021 01:36:08 +0000 Civic Data Design Lab https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/contact Contact Civic Data Design Lab MIT 10-400 MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning 77 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02142 USA Director Sarah Williamssew@mit.edu Let’s connect! Follow us to keep up with CDDL updates: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Medium Twitter https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/1-26-24-MIT-and-World-Food-Programme-Receive-Anthem-Award-for-a Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:13:05 +0000 Civic Data Design Lab https://civicdatadesignlab.mit.edu/1-26-24-MIT-and-World-Food-Programme-Receive-Anthem-Award-for-a MIT and World Food Programme Receive Anthem Award for a Project That Visualizes Migrant Stories in the Americas ︎︎︎Prev&nbsp; &nbsp;All News&nbsp; &nbsp;Next&nbsp;︎︎︎ <img width="4032" height="1960" width_o="4032" height_o="1960" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/edc4033e296d8c4fac64ef34a7e5ad2437ad5b239f955097cb9b6663d7e93187/20220622_092138.jpg" data-mid="203254291" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/edc4033e296d8c4fac64ef34a7e5ad2437ad5b239f955097cb9b6663d7e93187/20220622_092138.jpg" /> Janaury 31, 2024 Massachusetts /Panama City - The Civic Data Design Lab (CCDL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have been recognized among winners of the 2023 Anthem Awards which highlight excellence in social impact. The project “Distance Unknown: Risks and Opportunities of Migration in the Americas” today received a Gold Medal in the ‘Humanitarian Action &amp; Services’ category for ‘Best use of data’. “Distance Unknown” is an awareness art campaign on the complicated realities faced by people on the move, through an exhibition co-produced with migrants. The campaign builds on data collected from close to 5,000 households in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras and more than 2,100 migrants from 43 countries interviewed at four border crossings, as they make their northward journey to Mexico and the United States. The project illustrates that migration comes at a high cost on all sides. “In addition to documenting and raising awareness about the challenges and risks associated with migration, we were stunned to learn the financial burden borne by migrants,” says Sarah Williams, an Associate Professor at MIT and the Director of MIT's Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism (LCAU) and the Civic Data Design Lab. “Migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras collectively spent USD 2.2 billion to travel to the United States in 2021, which is comparable to what their home countries combined allocate to primary education.” This recognition comes at a critical time, as 2023 saw an unprecedented migrant surge in the continent with over half a million people crossing the perilous Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama - more than double the number the previous year. Primarily driven by economic motivations, migrants seek to support their family’s basic needs by sending remittances home, but testimonies reveal that people are also leaving their homes because of insecurity and climate stressors. &nbsp; “This data tells an important story: food insecurity and migration go hand in hand. People would rather stay home than risk it all. But when they do not have food, they do what any of us would to feed their families” said WFP’s Executive Director Cindy McCain. “WFP is working together with communities to build livelihoods, produce enough food to feed their families and offer hope.” Recent monitoring shows that 85 percent of migrants along the main routes are eating less, skipping meals or going without food for entire days. The “Distance unknown” exhibition features a 15-by-8 feet physical data visualization artwork and an interactive ‘motivational tapestry’ where visitors can follow individual stories and dive deeper into one migrant’s cost and reasons to flee. The display featured at the Venice architecture Biennale May-November last year. Established by The Webby Awards in 2021, the Anthem Awards are a mark of distinction for social impact excellence, celebrating purpose and mission-driven work worldwide. This year’s Anthem Award Winners were selected from a pool of over 2,000 submissions from 44 countries by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). ### The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change. MIT’s CDDL combined computation and design to create communication strategies that expose urban policy issues to broad audiences and create civic change. They call the process Data Action, which emphasizes the need for working with diverse teams to innovate with data for the public good combining&nbsp;data scientists, policy experts, data designers, and the public themselves. The approach generates policy debates, influences civic decisions, and informs design to help ensure that the voices of people represented in the data are neither marginalized nor left unheard. For more information from WFP please contact: Maria Gallar, WFP/ Panama, Mob. +507 6671-5355, maria.gallar@wfp.org Monica Leon, WFP/ Bogota, Mob. +57 3202548693, monica.leon@wfp.org Sarah Williams, MIT, +1267-253-4124, sew@mit.edu