Community Data Science Workshops (Fall 2015)/Day 3 Projects/Civic data

From CommunityData
Seattle building cost heatmap.png
SeattleGovLogoHome.png
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Building and visualizing datasets using data.seattle.gov and Google apps

In this project, we will explore a few ways to analyze data from data.seattle.gov using the Socrata API, the Google Maps API, and Google Fusion tables. We'll learn how to visualize new residential construction in Seattle over time, by neighborhood, and by map location using graphs and heatmaps.

Topics we will cover

  • Writing and testing complex API queries
  • Use Python to read and write CSV files
  • Combine data from two different APIs (data.seattle.gov and Google Maps)
  • Visualize data using Google's Fusion Table visualization engine

We will also explore an important non-technical part of data science: thinking critically about data. Thinking critically about the data you have, and what conclusions you can draw from it, is especially important when you are visualizing data, because its easy to mislead people with visualizations. We'll discuss how visualizations based on incorrect data can lead people to make false conclusions, using an example from a recent visualization of building demolitions published in the Northwest design magazine Arcade.

Preparation

Step 1
Download today's scripts and sample datasets: FIXME
Today's dataset
Click here to view the Seattle Building Permits database

Visualizing new home construction in Seattle over time

Question
Has the rate of apartment construction increased since 2010?


Visualizing new home construction in Seattle by neighborhood

Question
which Seattle neighborhoods have had the most multifamily residential construction (apartments and townhomes) since 2010?


Mapping new home construction in Seattle

Question
what locations have experienced the highest density of new construction since 2010?

Challenge questions

Try to answer these additional questions that draw on the data and methods we're learning today. Ask a mentor if you get stuck!

  1. In which Seattle neighborhood is the cost of new construction projects highest, on average?
  2. Where in Seattle are the most commercial buildings being constructed in 2015?
  3. How does the rate of residential construction in Seattle from 2010-2015 compare to the previous 5 years?
  4. How many townhouses have been constructed in Seattle since 2011?



Resources

If you are confused by anything today, go back and refresh your memory with the Day 0 setup and tutorial and Day 0 tutorial

Sample API queries
Sample charts/maps
  • Google Fusion table map of permits 2010-2015 [1]
Help resources and inspiration
Other data.seattle.gov datasets with neighborhood, timeseries, and/or location data
Instructional videos
Other Socrata sites that use this API