LIDA Seminar Series 23rd January 2020

This seminar has now expired. Presentations are available to download at the appropriate links below.

 

Presentation 1: Can data help give children equal access to education in Bradford? A look at the school admissions process.

By: Holly Clarke

Abstract: Education is a powerful tool in improving social mobility, however, in Bradford only 43% of children eligible for Free School Meals attend a secondary school rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, compared to a national average of 73% (DfE, 2017, p.14). Each year new cohorts of Year 7s enter secondary schools and their places are determined by schools’ admission criteria. These vary depending on school type and create a complex system which leads to some children not being placed in any of their preferred schools and travelling long distances to attend low-performing schools.

My talk will discuss the project, in partnership with the Department for Education and Bradford Opportunity Area, which seeks to understand the role the school admissions process plays in pupil distribution across Bradford. It will explore how modelling, analytics and visualisation can provide insights into different pupil’s access to high performing schools, and demonstrate how data can be used as a tool to improve equal access to education across the city and thus children’s life chances.

Department for Education (2017) ‘Bradford Opportunity Area 2017-2020 - A local plan to improve opportunities for Bradford’s children and young people’. 9 October 2018. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-mobility-and-opportunity-areas

Download presentation: Holly Clarke - Can data help give children equal access to education in Bradford

Download presentation notes: Holly Clarke - NOTES - Can data help give children equal access to education in Bradford

 

Presentation 2: From offline to real-time – the incorporation of real-time data into simulations of crowd movements

By: Thomas Richards

Abstract: Agent-based models (ABMs) are useful tools for simulating individuals’ movements and interactions, and have been used to model movements of crowds around streets, natural disasters, and transport terminals. ABMs are typically run using historical data, but could be improved with the incorporation of real-time data, a process known as data assimilation. However, there are currently no established methods available to achieve this. The Connected Places Catapult ‘Smart Building’ is equipped with sensors that measure parameters such as CO2 levels, light levels, and noise levels, which reflect the internal environment of the building.

In this talk I will discuss feeding these data in real-time into an agent-based model of peoples’ movements around the building, and the ramifications for decision-making based on being able to reflect moment-to-moment changes of the actual internal environment of the building. This project forms part of the wider Data Assimilation for Agent-based Models (DUST) project, and has real-world implications for improving the efficiency of management of events within the building.

Download presentation: Thomas Richards - Simulations of crowd movements_v6

 

Presentation 3: The measurement of consumer emotions: Applying Rasch theory to guide product design

By:  Caitlin Chalk

Abstract: The attitudes and sentiments of consumers towards products are fundamental in product design and development. Manufacturers typically use data from consumer surveys to gain valuable insight on consumer opinion, and use this to inform their design procedure. However, the attitudes and sentiments of people are emotional responses, which cannot be easily measured. Rasch measurement theory provides a probabilistic technique in which to convert people’s opinions into interval measurements. The responses of consumers to statements about specific products (such as “I find this product useful”) can be transformed into linear measures for which descriptive statistics can be applied.

In this presentation, I will discuss the application of Rasch measurement theory to consumer data. In particular, I will talk about the research that is currently being undertaken in collaboration with Procter and Gamble – the industrial partner in this project. The aim of the research is to assess the application of Rasch theory to existing consumer data about real products. Until now, Rasch theory has not been used in this context.

Download presentation: Caitlin Chalk - The measurement of consumer emotions