International Love Data Week (Feb 10 to Feb 14) raises awareness about the importance of data science and the management, preservation and ability to access data. Every year a new theme is chosen to highlight issues and new ideas in relation to data. This year, the theme asks the question: Who’s data is it, anyways?
Throughout the week of February 10, 2025, TMU Library will host a series of workshops that address this question, while providing students, researchers and faculty the opportunity to explore resources, new services and data expertise available at the Library.
Love Data Week is an international event; you can check out events happening all over the world here.
Register now for Library workshops:
Introduction to Scholars GeoPortal Online
Scholars GeoPortal is a geospatial data infrastructure that allows users to search, discover, visualize and download spatial datasets including vector data (GIS shapefiles), aerial images and orthophotography, open data, and historical digitized maps. Join GIS & Map Librarian, Dan Jakubek for a demonstration of this valuable web mapping application to learn about gaining access to a variety of geospatial data resources. This session will demonstrate the functionality of the geoportal and highlight the key data resources available within.
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SimplyAnalytics for Consumer Research
SimplyAnalytics is a powerful tool. As a data mapping application, it can give you valuable insights into consumer behaviour and demographics. Whether you’re looking to narrow down your target market for a new venture or determine the viability of a business idea by understanding your consumers, this workshop will equip you with the skills you need to leverage SimplyAnalytics for your market research.
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Diversity Data Sources for Canada
Finding data about the diversity of the population in Canada can be challenging without knowing the terminology used in surveys, especially since they change over time. Please join Kevin Manuel, Data Librarian at Toronto Metropolitan University Libraries, for an information session on how to find anti-racism data and LGBTQ+ resources. In this presentation as part of international Love Data week which is themed ‘Whose Data is it Anyway’, Kevin will share online guides that he has contributed to developing that provide information about how to find data about Indigenous, LGBTQ+ and racialized peoples in Canada.
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Whose (Wiki)Data is it Anyway? Ethics & Consent in Cataloguing People, Places & Things
Wikidata is one of the most open and widely available data tools. It powers Wikipedia and links together data from all over the internet, gathering it together in one searchable space. Can Wikidata be used in your work or research? What purpose does it serve? And how can you contribute to Wikidata? How should you contribute to it? Should you contribute to it at all?
Join us in discussion, to learn about linked data and how it can help to fill in blanks and gaps in marginalized subject areas, while getting a 101 crash course in using and creating Wikidata items. This workshop is framed within the context of ethically gathering data with and without consent, the power of language, terminology and authority files.
Bring a laptop and join the group or work on your own. Stay for the whole session or drop in when you can!
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Getting Acquainted with R and RStudio Online
This is a hands-on introduction to R, a free software environment for statistical computing. Before learning about scripting and syntax in R, this will help beginners orient themselves with R and RStudio, open data files, get required packages, and save their work. We will also talk about how to utilize the rich documentation and strong community support for R when looking for help while learning and troubleshooting. No prior knowledge of programming is required.
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Research Collaboration in Data Science Online
In this talk we will be presenting a research collaboration between environmental science researchers from Toronto Metropolitan University and data science students from Carleton College, MN. Presenters will share their experiences and learning from the project, followed by an open discussion with attendees on best practices in data science collaboration. We hope to offer (and collect) general insights on data sharing, code sharing, annotations, version control, as well as challenges and opportunities.
Other Data-Related Events in February
Intro to Research Data Management:
Thurs., Feb. 20
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Intro to Depositing Data:
Thurs., Feb. 27
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.