Here at @ifgevents#IFGDataBites event. I’ll tweet but try to keep it to high level synthesis and summary, unless I get very excited! 1/
@ifgevents 2/ first up is @catbrom from @UKStatsAuth. She's raising question about how trust in official statistics can be maintained in a world of data abundance. Interestingly it's not just regulation, but pushing for more, better use of data #IFGDataBites
@ifgevents@catbrom@UKStatsAuth 3/ it's also about more than just safeguarding data, but demonstrating how that is being done, more #Transparency, and demonstrating the value of the data to the public. Critically this means involving the public in the conversations about data use #IFGDataBites
@ifgevents@catbrom@UKStatsAuth 4/ in response to a question about appetite of government to engage the public in the debate about the benefit of data and statistics, notes that there is an unease and work needs to be done to support these conversations #DrasticSummary#IFGDataBites
@ifgevents@catbrom@UKStatsAuth 5/ next up is @jane56k from Newham Borough. Looking at their Data Warehouse and business intelligence service which has brought together 30 different datasets (which didn't talk) to bring single view of people and properties #IFGDataBites
@ifgevents@catbrom@UKStatsAuth@jane56k 6/ [my comment] lots of the benefits are (obviously good but) internal, cost reduction, fraud detection etc, but most hidden from citizen and measured as 'increased satisfaction' or 'improved outcomes'. Difficult to know how meaningful this is for residents #IFGDataBites
@ifgevents@catbrom@UKStatsAuth@jane56k 8/ Q raising my point; to what extent are residents aware, & to what extent you using it to do more than catch them out?
A: info on website, need to engage residents more.
@ifgevents@catbrom@UKStatsAuth@jane56k@gansenthi@GDSTeam 10/ Finally up is Michael Birtwistle from @CDEIUK, can't find his twitter ID. He's going to tell us about the #AI barometer they are developing. It'll be augmented by responsive snapshots of issues of public concern, eg smart speakers, deep fakes etc> sounds useful #IFGDataBites
@ifgevents@catbrom@UKStatsAuth@jane56k@gansenthi@GDSTeam@CDEIUK 11/ The #AI Barometer aims to support government to understand the risks and opportunities from AI driven tech. it's a challenge because these are so broad, impacting also on impact on individuals, organisations etc, and a huge no of lenses to look through #IFGDataBites
If there's something relevant from a public engagement perspective I'll add to this thread
2/ Some prepared remarks from ED first. The law worked best, she says, when the publics' views are put front and centre of any data use #IfGDenham
3/ Big things on her desk are #transparency, #AI#algorithms and #BigData < I wonder how many of those are big things from the public's perspectives? Suspect outcomes and impacts are much more relevant, less about data #IfGDenham
1/ Looking forward to the launch of @GenomicsEngland's #newborndialogue report which starts in a few minutes. I'm going to be live tweeting. With over 1000 people signed up it's full, but you can follow along here
3/ If you are interested in finding out more about @sciencewise and the support it offers government bodies to engage the public effectively, you'll find that here - sciencewise.org.uk/about-sciencew…
Sitting in on the "Science and Society, 20 years on: legacy and lessons for a post-Covid world" conference. I'll try to tweet key points that strike me, but not live tweet to avoid spamming you buff.ly/3cnx13O 1/
Kicking off is @jameswilsdon reminding us that the reason for the event is that we are twenty years on since the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee published its seminal report on Science and Society. And the issues in there are still live publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199900/ld… 2/
How do we balance the educational needs of children against
i. the health needs of teachers,
ii. the health needs of the wider population
iii. the wider economic impact?
2/ Whatever we decide will entail difficult choices which will affect different groups differently, in different ways and over very different timescales. At its starkest, the longer term education of our children vs short term economy?
What a choice, what an awful choice.
3/ But we need to make it, not debating it and trying to ignore it doesn't make the choice go away, it is just made by default, by the virus in fact
The Patch (@BBCRadio4) is a wimsical little programme set around the conceit of investigating a random postcode every episode 1/
The Patch just tackled homelessness in a time of Covid in London’s Square Mile bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0… 2/
The Patch just did for my understanding of homelessness what I think BBC news programmes and esp @BBCr4today should be doing day in day out instead of stupid short gotcha interviews presenting false balance 3/
I share your sense of outrage at what is happening in Portland. But I think that to blame deliberative democracy is to misunderstand what democracy is 1/
2/ Democracy isn't one thing. Here in the UK, through the 80s and 90s, those campaigning for greater democracy were focused on institutions: establishing a constitution, proportional representation, an elected House of Lords etc
3/ All of these things are important components of democracy, but they won't magically transform the UK into some sort of utopian democracy. Not on their own, and not even if they all happened