The Social Datathon 2023: Finding Green Skills

Solve a real-world challenge through the application of data science and analytics tools to create potential solutions

Join us for the Social Datathon 2023 which will see participants gather to solve a real-world challenge through the application of data science and analytics tools, and techniques, by working together in teams to generate insights and potential solutions. The Datathon is to be hosted at the Jesus College Cheng Kar Shun Digital Hub, in partnership with the Oxford Internet Institute

Teams will have the opportunity to work with a unique dataset, present their findings to the public at an evening event, and compete  to win  the competition to be awarded by a jury of digital policy experts with a grand trophy.

The Challenge: Finding Green Skills 

The need to transition towards more environmentally sustainable modes of production and consumption has become imperative, for developed as well as for developing countries. The transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy requires systemic changes that will result not only in new products and services but also in changes in production processes and business models. This greening of the economy will inevitably change the skills required and the tasks involved in many of the existing occupations. But how do we define these “green” tasks and skills? And how to reskill workers towards more environmentally friendly occupations? The challenge of this datathon will be to identify “green” (sustainable) skills in the UK that are demanded by the jobs of the future, helping workers, firms, and policy actors to establish targeted reskilling.

How long is the datathon?

The 2023 Datathon will take place on March 3rd. Teams will have approximately 2 weeks in advance to prepare their work and finalise it on the day of the event.

Who can participate?

All skill levels and backgrounds are welcome to participate.

There are many helpful skills that can support a datathon project including:

  • Communication
  • Presentation development
  • Project management
  • Data discovery
  • Research
  • Machine learning
  • And more

What are the team requirements?

You may form your own team. Teams should be at least 2 people and no more than 5 people.

Remember, not all team members need to be data scientists. Many find it helpful to build a team consisting of a variety of backgrounds and skills.

What tools and resources are available?

Participants are free to use their preferred tools to complete their project.

What is the judging criteria?

At the evening event of the datathon on March 3rd, teams will have a 10-15 minute presentation of their project.

Judging Criteria Includes:

  • Definition of the problem statement and stakeholders (5 points)
  • Analysis (5 points)
  • Impact of the analysis (5 points)

The prize?

The prize for the winning team will be tickets for the Re:Publica festivlal in Berlin in June this year – one of the hottest venues in Europe that deals with the Web 2.0, especially blogs, social media and information society.

How to participate?

If you are interested in participating then please use the application form. The application requires a team size of two to five participants. Applications close on February 12th 2023. Further details on the event and the outcome of the application will follow in the week after the deadline.

Would you like to join the evening award event?

Feel free to join us for the evening award ceremony and listen to the fascinating data science presentations of the participants. The evening award session will be open to the public and begin at 6pm.

 

This event is supported by the University of Oxford’s ASPECT Innovation Fellowship Programme and ESRC Impact Acceleration Account.

 

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