The Public Data Lab is an interdisciplinary network exploring what difference the digital makes in attending to public problems.
We develop materials and formats for collective inquiry with and about digital data, digital methods and digital infrastructures.
Here are some of our projects so far along with the people contributing to them:
Groups and organisations we have worked with include: Amnesty International, besea.n, BuzzFeed News, Camden Air Action, The Centre for Public Data, CIVICUS, DeSmog, End Violence and Racism Against ESEA Communities (EVR), ESEA Hub, European Forest Institute, European Journalism Centre, First Draft, Forest Bathing Institute, Gehl, Global Data Barometer, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, Global Witness, The Guardian, The Latin American Open Data Initiative, Media Matters, Open Knowledge Foundation, NOS, Politico Europe, Possible, Surrey Wildlife Trust, Tax Justice Network, UN Foundation and ZKM.
Our approach is characterised by an interest in:
- Intervention around social, political, economic and ecological issues;
(attending to how these are materialised and manifested) - Participation through involving different publics in the co-design of our work;
(attending to the means through which involvement is organised) - Artisanship in advancing the craft of assembling digital data, methods and infrastructures to produce different kinds of works, stories and experiences;
(exploring how social and cultural research may inform critical and inventive re-configurations) - Openness in sharing research, data and code for all to use;
(attending to the social lives of such materials as they are repurposed in different settings)
Our work is grounded in social and cultural research with and about the digital, including from feminist science and technology studies, new media studies, internet studies, platform studies, infrastructure studies, data studies, algorithm studies and associated fields.
We assemble through our projects, events and activities. If you’re interested in joining us or contributing to our work you are welcome to get in touch.