The world is changing how we look at data, and that data are undeniably changing the world. This is true across the globe, which is why there has never been a more important time than now to democratize access to data, increase data literacy, and bring analytics to all employees across the organization.
I recently participated in our inaugural Inspiring Women event moderated by Heidi Badgery, Managing Director of ANZ, Alteryx, as part of Alteryx Inspire on Tour: Sydney. During the event, we discussed democratizing data at a macro and micro level and how data has changed the lives, careers, and even the trajectory of countries.
Here, I had the pleasure of meeting Assistant Commissioner Rashelle Conroy APM of the New South Wales Police Force and Kristi Mansfield, Co-Founder and CEO of Seer Data & Analytics. Both are using data to drive positive outcomes for their communities in Australia and beyond.
Assistant Commissioner Rashelle Conroy APM discusses the transformative impact of data and analytics on crime investigations and public safety.
Creating Safer Communities with Data
Assistant Commissioner Rashelle Conroy APM joined the NSW Police Force in 1995 and has distinguished herself in the field of Crime Scene services. Through her work, AC Conroy is responsible for pioneering the use of data for forensic services and spoke about the criticality of data access with citizen privacy.
When AC Conroy first joined the Forensic Evidence and Technical Services Command, they were limited in the types of evidence they could collect from crime scenes. Now with the advent of digital forensics, they’re able to leverage and analyze data from mobile phones, smartwatches, cell towers, and more.
“We’ve completely changed the way we investigate crime. We have many more data sources coming in that we need to analyze,” said AC Conroy. It’s also the ability to interpret those data very quickly through analytics that is helping AC Conroy and her team make better decisions about safety that protect their community’s most vulnerable victims.
However, all these data also present new challenges. “The biggest issue for us at the moment is encryption.” AC Conroy explained the need for legislative reform to improve how quickly law enforcement can get warranted legislative access to information that can help solve crimes from communications providers.
“I think the real driver is how quickly we can get [data] because real-time information in our jobs can mean the difference between life and death.”
Kristi Mansfield explains the importance of democratizing data to grassroot communities.
Empowering Grassroot Communities to Make Data-Driven Decisions
Kristi Mansfield is co-founder and CEO of Seer Data & Analytics, a scale up technology company that works with communities and policy makers to help people use data and machine learning for social good.
One of the questions Kristi and Seer Data & Analytics is trying to solve for is, “How do we empower people at [the grassroots] level with data so that they can make better decisions collaboratively and get better outcomes for local communities and all of society?”
The organization works with more than 35 communities around Australia doing grassroots data sharing federally, as well as data sharing with other countries like Nigeria and the United States. These grassroots communities may not have analytics skill sets so Seer Data & Analytics helps to increase their data literacy so they can confidently make decisions with data.
They work with people to gain the confidence to take the right actions, the efficiency of knowing what’s working and what’s not, and the power to change the system.
Analytics for All
Data creates tremendously positive changes in the world we live in, so it is time we build a society that is comfortable working with data.
At Alteryx, we’re committed to empowering everyone with the ability to understand data, learning how to work with data to solve problems, and using that data know-how to drive positive changes in the world.
Learn more about Alteryx SparkED, our no-cost analytics education program with learning paths and software designed to empower everyone to make a difference with data on day one.