Thinking about Data, with Max Shron

We're pleased to welcome the one and only Max Shron to the NYC Data Science meetup. Max runs a data strategy consultancy (http://shron.net/) in New York and is the author of the new O'Reilly book Thinking with Data: How to Turn Information into Insights (http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Data-Max-Shron/dp/1449362931/). His work, including analyses of transit, public health, and housing markets, has been featured in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Huffington Post, WNYC, and more. Prior to launching his own consultancy, Max was the data scientist for OkCupid.

All too often, people begin data projects without a clear sense of where they are headed or even what problems they ultimately hope to solve. Honed from years of data work and research for his book Thinking with Data, Max will share some techniques adapted from the worlds of design, consulting, the humanities and the social sciences which improve focus, communication, and results. For this talk, Max will discuss the four ideas that have to be clear in advance of touching any data, techniques for getting on the same page with domain experts, and tactics for tying together different pieces of a project into a coherent whole.