CFP Topics

The conference committee invited contributions covering the following topics: 

  • Information and evidence in digital age 
  • Policy-making mechanisms and modelling approaches 
  • Existing methodologies, case studies, best practices for use of Big Data in policy 
  • Data collection, storage, processing and access procedures 
  • Cumulative learning in digital environments, potentials in policy context, challenges and limitations 
  • Interaction of domain expertise with digital processing technologies; dealing with imperfect/uncertain data; psychology/behaviour of decision 
  • Security and privacy issues; ethics and law



Committee Members

Andrew Gamble, University of Cambridge

Anil Bharath, Imperial College

Anne Alexander, University of Cambridge

Antony Walker, University of Cambridge

Bilal Gokpinar, University College London

Clare Dyer-Smith, Cambridge Big Data Strategic Research Initiative

David J Hand, Imperial College; UK Administrative Data Research Network

David Reiner, University of Cambridge

Deeph Chana, Imperial College

Eiko Yoneki, University of Cambridge

Emre Simsekler, University College London; London Innovation Society

Eric T Meyer, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford

Glenn Watson, UK Office for National Statistics

Hetan Shah, UK Royal Statistical Society 

Ian Walden, Queen Mary, University of London; Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

James Wilsdon, Sussex University

Jasdeep Sandhu, University of Cambridge

Jean Bacon, University of Cambridge

Jeff Patmore, University of Cambridge

John Naughton, University of Cambridge

Jon Crowcroft, University of Cambridge

Kenneth Benoit, London School of Economics and Political Science

Mesut Tastan, Fellow, LSE; London Innovation Society

Moira Faul, University ofCambridge

Neil Lindsay, UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory

Rob Doubleday, EUniversity of Cambridge

Simon Burall, Involve; ScienceWise Expert Resource Centre

Stian Westlake, Nesta

Suleyman Sirri Demirsoy, London Innovation Society

Zeynep Engin, dataforpolicy.uk; London Centre for Social Studies; University of Cambridge



Summaries from Report

15-17 June 2015, Cambridge

The inaugural conference of the community was launched with the theme “Policy-making in the Big Data Era: Opportunities and Challenges”. An open call for contributions was circulated inviting all discussions around i) what information and evidence would/should look like in the digital age; ii) existing and new mechanisms and methodologies to transfer cutting edge scientific knowledge to the policy domains; iii) issues of data collection, storage, processing and access; iv) cumulative learning in digital environments along with their potentials and challenges in policy context; and v) the interaction of domain expertise with digital processing technologies, also dealing with imperfect/uncertain data and the psychology and behaviour of decision. The conference was at the forefront of discussion of security and privacy issues, as well as the ethical and legal concerns in this space. The conference attracted 177 delegates from top UK universities, government departments and private and non-profit institutions and also attracted an international audience. A collection of papers from the conference was later published in a special issue of Policy & Internet (see publications).

Keynote Speakers
Natasa Milic-Frayling, Microsoft Research
Ross Anderson, University of Cambridge
Kenneth Benoit, London School of Economics and Political Science
David Hand, Imperial College
James Wilsdon, Science Policy Research Unit

Partners
Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge
Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP), University of Cambridge
Data Science Institute (DSI), Imperial College London
Department of Methodology, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
The Royal Statistical Society (RSS)
Sciencewise Programme funded by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS)
Office for National Statistics (ONS)
London Innovation Society (LIS)
Cambridge Big Data, University of Cambridge
Digital Humanities Network, University of Cambridge