Data Science and Sustainable Transportation Planning with StreetLight Data

StreetLight Data is a Big Data analytics platform that transforms locational data from millions of mobile devices into useful Metrics that solve transportation and infrastructure planning problems. StreetLight's mission is to reduce vehicle miles traveled by using Big Data in transportation planning and management. Its StreetLight InSight online web application takes the hassle out of Big Data by enabling civil engineers to run their own mobility analytics in minutes. Previously, data collection for most core transportation analyses took months.

In this presentation, StreetLight Data CEO and head of Data Science Laura Schewel will present a case study in which StreetLight Data scanned hundreds of miles of roadways in northern Virginia, looking at billions of geospatial points, to rank the best locations for transit, bike lanes, and other sustainable transportation options. Then, she will walk "back" through the Data Science challenges and techniques that went into this analysis. Finally, she will discuss the trade-offs between pursuing a deeper, more perfect Data Science and launching a commercially viable, mission-driven product as quickly as possible.

Laura Schewel is the founder and CEO of StreetLight Data, a mobility and transportation analytics provider. She founded StreetLight Data while earning her M.S. in Energy Resources at UC Berkeley as a National Science Foundation Research Fellow. In 2013, MIT Technology Review named Laura one of 35 Innovators Under 35, and the International Transport Forum honored her as its Young Researcher of the Year. Previously, Laura managed vehicle electrification at the Rocky Mountain Institute and developed electric vehicle and energy storage strategies for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). She holds Bachelor’s degrees in engineering and literature from Yale University.

... registration to open two weeks in advance.

SCHEDULE
-- 6.30pm: light refreshments
-- 7.00pm: talk

*Note that building doors will be locked to visitors at 7pm. Please arrive on time :)