Abstract: In this talk I will describe key concepts and methods for critical data studies and present an ongoing research study using critical data modeling. Using an arrest record dataset published by the Los Angeles Police Department as a case study, I will discuss results detailing the representation of racial data and the presence of children. I will propose a definition for data quality of open government datasets grounded in feminist data ethics and an ethics of care that centers the needs of vulnerable populations and accountability of institutions toward their communities.
Bio: Karen M. Wickett is an Associate Professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois. Her research areas include information organization, metadata, and critical information studies. Dr Wickett is most interested in the analysis of common concepts and data models in information systems. Examining the assumptions and models behind these systems and artifacts can reveal bias and help us understand the role of information systems in societal oppression.