recorded on April 7, 2015
Rise - with us - to the challenge with active
hope and learn how big data might help us save our planet!
(vTap beat and
beeps)
REBEKAH: Big dreams?
CHRISTINE: Big data!
REBEKAH: I'm Rebekah Nix;
CHRISTINE: I'm Christine Maxwell;
BOTH: … and together we are
vTapestry.
REBEKAH: Happy Earth Day
Christine! It is definitely springtime in Texas again; it’s great to see so
many folks enjoying the outdoors already. Now that I teach completely online, I
miss taking students around the UTD campus to practice field sampling… or
digital curation with new aps, like iNaturalist. One of my favorite workshops was a
day-long excursion to a local preserve where I set up comparisons between the
traditional testing protocols and just-released mobile sensors and probes from PASCO Scientific. The Dissolved Oxygen test
results were greatly improved in terms of speed and accuracy – which left more
time for exploring.
After another
drought-stricken summer, I’ve been thinking about how what you and I are
exploring (from a technology standpoint) relates back to the real world in
terms of the natural environment. I’d like to talk more about that today, with
a focus on how new ways of thinking and doing can re-energize our generation
and encourage our students to seek out ways to discovering new pathways for our
immediate present and uncertain future. As a science educator, I’ve always felt
a strong connection to the earth and am glad that technology continues to be a
valuable tool in understanding our universe. But I worry about how the next
generation relates…
As you know, my
professional pathway has always aligned closely with my personal story. Like
you, I think we grew up during the best times... when our mothers could get
away with locking us outside for a few hours each day - and they did just that! While we had 'new
technologies' and found them interesting, they were still novelties/gadgets
back in the 60s and 70s. With today's kids spending “on average of 44.5 hours per week in front of screens”
– sometimes 2+ at a time – it all seems like one big global obsession now.
CHRISTINE: I know what you mean. In the last two decades, childhood has moved indoors.
The average American boy or girl spends as few as 30 minutes in
unstructured outdoor play each day, and more than seven hours each day in front
of an electronic screen. This shift ‘inside’ profoundly impacts the wellness of
our nation’s kids. Childhood obesity rates have more than doubled the last 20
years; the United States has become the largest consumer of ADHD medications in
the world; and pediatric prescriptions for antidepressants have risen
precipitously. With respect to their health and development, most of our kids
are missing out on an essential connection to the natural world.
As
media multiplies, it's becoming much more difficult to manage kids' screen
time. A few decades ago, television was the only tech distraction, now there’s
smartphones, tablets and laptops — not to mention electronic games. As I
learned from a study published in the journal of Computers in Human
Behavior, children who spend so many hours with their eyes glued to
screens, are less able to recognize emotions. Sixth graders who went five days
without exposure to technology were significantly better at reading human
emotions than kids who had regular access to phones, television and computers.
Did you
know that – according to the American Optometric
Association< – over 10 million
children in the United States suffer from undetected vision problems? These
often contribute to difficulties in the classroom, even in students who score
20/20 vision in a vision screening. While computer assisted training supports
gains in rigorous vision therapy programs, Computer Vision Syndrome
Big Data Solutions for a
Cleaner – Greener – World
On a planetary scale
however, the simulations and visualizations that scientific researchers are
studying on those various screens hold amazing promise for global citizens to
work together to solve – in many cases continually resolve – today's serious
environmental issues. Big data is definitely making a big difference in that
regard and can certainly improve our understanding of the overall situation.
REBEKAH: That’s exactly what
piqued my interest in this burgeoning field that merges science, technology,
the arts, and most importantly, policy. As in education, I’m excited about how
big data tools and techniques can be used to ‘objectify’ the ‘messy’ problems
we’d all prefer to ignore, in this case, regarding what’s happening to our
planet. An MSNBC clip of shocking images of California's landmarks before and after the
drought began clearly shows that our habitat is changing. It can be quite
depressing… but Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone pegged my ‘Big Dream’ for
realizing the potential of ‘Big Data’ in their 2012 book Active
Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in without Going Crazy. I
hadn’t ever thought about the fact that:
The word hope has two
different meanings. The first involves hopefulness, where our preferred outcome
seems reasonably likely to happen. If we require this kind of hope before we
commit ourselves to an action, our response gets blocked in areas where we don’t
rate our chances too high... The second meaning is about desire… knowing what
we hope for and what we’d like, or love, to take place. It is what we do with
this hope that really makes the difference. Passive hope is about waiting for
external agencies to bring about what we desire. Active Hope is about becoming
active participants in bringing about what we hope for. Active Hope is a
practice… it is something we do rather than have. It is a process we can apply
to any situation.
And that’s where big
data really might just help us to save our planet! Here’s an example I think we
can all appreciate. MIT researchers have shown smarter programming of stoplights can cut greenhouse
emissions – while reducing the frustration of sitting in traffic during rush
hour! Two papers published in Transportation Science and Transportation
Research describe how they combined vehicle-level data with less
precise — but more comprehensive — city-level data on traffic patterns to
produce better information than current systems provide. While existing
programs can simulate both city-scale and driver-scale traffic behavior, the
challenge in this case was integrating the two. The MIT team figured out how to
reduce the amount of detail to make the computations practical, while still
retaining enough specifics to make useful predictions and recommendations. I
look forward to learning the results of their next trials to test the potential
of the system for large-scale signal control. Hopefully Dallas and Denver are
on their list!
This success touches on
some of the complexities of leveraging the masses of data we’ve already
collected though, doesn’t it Christine? A think tank at Purdue’s Discovery Park purports that “Big
Data is enabling the next generation of interactive data analysis with
real-time answers. (And that) In the near future, queries will be automatically
generated for content creation on websites, to populate hot-lists or
recommendations, and to provide an ad hoc analysis of the
value of a data set to decide whether to store or to discard it. Scaling
complex query processing techniques to terabytes while enabling interactive
response times is a major open research problem today.”
CHRISTINE: Indeed. Advances in
computing power coupled with the incorporation of natural language &
semantic search capabilities have made it possible to move far beyond the
simple Boolean keyword searches of early research. Today, Google uses
predictive search capabilities and advanced functionalities that enable the
answering of ‘conversational queries’. The crowning caveat to this
however, is the challenge of scalability being handled at the same time as high
levels of speed and high levels of accuracy all at the same time. That is
a very, very difficult goal to achieve. The Gartner Magic Quadrant that
examines the competitive market for advanced analytics platforms shows a sparse
field compared to its Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence and
analytics. And that’s primarily because only a very few companies have
created a highly scalable environment along with all their other ‘bells and
whistles’.
Simply put, the
challenge is to reach all of kinds of data types – in real time – in order to
analyze all the relevant data found within a single, continuous view – at the
same time. Analyzing it.... that’s what big data is really all about. Unless
you can connect what matters to you in ways that make sense to you, it is just
more data. Machine learning (a form of Artificial Intelligence) allows
applications to learn from what you ask about the data, often now in your own
conversational questions. The good news is that there is, available today in
fact, software that is able to handle these ubiquitous ‘big data’ challenges.
REBEKAH: I’d like to bring up
another variation on this theme. Following on with our attempt to
define ‘big data’ (which just keeps getting bigger and bigger), I was intrigued
by a presentation on “Big Data and the Future for Ecology” that
referenced “challenges at scales individuals can’t address.” Long story short,
the team made the point that, collectively, ecologists “may have ‘big data’ –
[but they] just aren’t using it.” Their study explored how dark ecology’s ‘dark
data’ really is today… in terms of observatories, remote sensing, and Citizen
Science data, for example.
In a 2013
article of the same title, those authors note that “ecologists
already have big data to bolster the scientific effort – a large volume of
distributed, high-value information” but question whether or not ecologists
will “join the larger scientific community in global initiatives to address
major scientific and societal problems by bringing their distributed data to
the table and harnessing its collective power.” In a nutshell, this is how they
summarized their ‘call to action’ for traditional researchers: “Ecologists
collectively produce large volumes of data through diverse individual projects
but lack a culture of data curation and sharing, so that ecological data are
missing from the landscape of data-intensive science…”, “To fully take
advantage of scientific opportunities available in the information age,
ecologists must treat data as an enduring product of research and not just as a
precursor to publications”, and that “Forward-thinking ecologists will organize
and archive data for posterity, publicly share their data, and participate in
collaborations that address large-scale questions.”
I certainly appreciate
Joanna Macy’s pointing out that “Trying out a different way of thinking about
our situation (meaning the sustainability of Earth) is a powerful way of
strengthening our resilience and creativity.” I am very enthusiastic about the
huge take-up in “citizen science”. Citizen science refers to data collection
and interpretation made by science enthusiasts rather than trained scientists –
or alongside trained scientists. What draws people to participate is getting
involved in the activities themselves. Particularly when those activities are
local projects where tangible impact is possible and benefits to the local
community can be visibly seen/felt. Great examples to explore further are the
long-running Global
Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE)
program – a world-wide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based science and
education program – and “zooniverse.org” – whose mission is to “make citizen
science websites so that everyone can be part of the real research online.” As
an example, if you are interested in the Search of Erupting Black Holes, why
not help astronomers discover supermassive black holes observed by the very
large array and compact array telescopes?. Just go to the Zooniverse home page,
pick “the Search for Black holes” and click on the bright yellow button that
says “BEGIN HUNTING”!
Another example of Big
Data is the Large Hadron Collider, at the European Organisation for Nuclear
Research (CERN), which has 150 million sensors and created 22 petabytes of data
in 2012 (1 Petabyte = 1015 bytes). In biomedicine the Human Genome Project is
determining the sequences of the three billion chemical base pairs that make up
human DNA. In Earth observation there are over 200 satellites in orbit
continuously collecting data about the atmosphere and the land, ocean and ice
surfaces of planet Earth with pixel sizes ranging from 50cm to many tens of
kilometers.
Reality Check…
REBEKAH: Ah, I get it. That’s
probably part of what Angel Hsu was talking about in an AAAS interview about Big Data and the
environment. When asked in what ways he sees Big Data within that field
changing or growing in the near future, he said:
I think that
environmental policymakers and decision makers need to get more creative in
thinking about how to generate big data for the environment. Trees can't tweet,
and oceans can't create a census of species that live beneath their surface, so
until then we've got to get creative about how we can generate the necessary
information and knowledge to make the smart policies and decisions that aren't ad
hoc. Even though we talk a lot about the need to bridge together
disciplines and actors, it's still not being done well enough in environmental
policy.
Big data clearly can
contribute to our understanding of earth systems today. I like how Macy
positions the individual in our current dilemma: “Everything we do has ripples
of influence extending far beyond what we can see. When we face a problem, a
single brain cell doesn’t come up with a solution, though it can
participate in one. The process of thinking happens at a level higher
than just individual brain cells — it happens through them. Similarly, there’s
no way that we personally can fix the mess our world is in, but the process of
healing and recovery at a planetary level can happen through each of us
becoming aware and making micro-decisions to help save our planet for future
generations.
The value of technology
in addressing the environmental question really boils down to a matter of time.
That's the urgency... As Macy frames it: “In agricultural societies, the year’s
rhythm is counted in seasons. In the days before clocks, the sun moving across
the sky gave shape to the day. Compare these natural cycles with the time
intervals of modern technology, now measured in fractions of a microsecond.
Life has become a race in a way that is historically unprecedented.”
Making a Big Difference
CHRISTINE: As Hsu argues, “we are still in the very early
phases of developing large-scale datasets for the environment. There are some
sources of big data generation for the environment. Satellites, for example,
have been around for nearly half a century and are being used for all types of
observation, ranging from assessing urban growth to sea level rise and
deforestation. However, even these sources of 'big data' are limited in some
way in their ability to answer certain environmental questions. Satellite
analysis can tell, for example, how much a city has grown over a certain time
period, but it doesn't tell me how much energy or water was used in that
expansion.”
REBEKAH: Right. The reason I’m so
taken with The TerraMar Project is because Ghislaine
Maxwell’s passion, combined with her expertise, literally has built a truly
innovative technology framework that provides the latest and greatest
information that can lead to meaningful insights and important action that
drives policy decisions, say, by the United Nations. I’m proud that my own
Teacher Development Center, through the School of Interdisciplinary Studies,
was able to share her amazing story in an archived public seminar at UTD. Thirteen
minutes into that presentation, she stated that, “Part of the problem here is
that we don’t have enough data. We don’t have enough information on the High
Seas. We don’t have enough information on the ocean…”Then she previewed the
first High Seas weather report! At sixteen minutes, she said it again: “How can
we make good decisions if we don’t have a lot of information? Knowledge is
power. Data is key. So we need more information.” I agree with Ghislaine and accept
that the time is now for seriously big data!
CHRISTINE: Rob Foos, Director of
Development for The TerraMar Project, effectively explained how a sense of
urgency can help us solve environmental issues. The way he puts it is this:
Creating a sense of urgency,
whether artificial or actual, is a powerful force to further any cause. I think
it results from a mixture of Parkinson’s Law – work expands so as to fill the
time available for its completion, the procrastinator’s favorite (wait until
the last minute and it will take only a minute to do) – and FOMO, the recently
popularized and surprisingly poignant slogan from Verizon’s NFL commercials –
Fear of Missing Out. When provided an opportunity to take some action,
whether it’s to donate, sign a pledge, buy a product – you name it – without an
impending deadline, many will take the time to further evaluate the chance...
which means they’ll likely not return. Introduce a sense of urgency and the
concoction resulting from Parkinson’s Law and FOMO produces surprising results.
The ability to delay the decision doesn’t exist, so the people who weren’t
going to take any action in the first place are going to move on, but those
that may take the action are now forced – whether artificially
or actually – to make that decision on the spot, no more procrastinating, and
now conversions improve. This is played out every day right before our very
eyes. Think of any of the millions of commercials saying, “While supplies
last!”, “This weekend only!”, or any number of other phrases. The supposed
discount or coupon isn’t what’s getting you in the door – it’s the fear
of missing out on the ability to use it.
How does this apply to
the environment, and specifically, the ocean? An actual deadline
is approaching, no artificial sense of urgency here. The United Nations is
deliberating their sustainability priorities for the next 15 years called the
Sustainable Development Goals. Replacing the successful implementation of the
Millennium Development Goals, which Bill Gates lauded as the best idea for
focusing the world on global poverty that he’s ever seen. This opportunity
comes at a time when there’s a rare convergence of technology, environmental
need, and political will – the time has never been better for meaningful change
for the ocean and our planet. If we don’t take action – if we don’t make the
ocean a priority now, it will be too late in 15 years.
This very real sense of
urgency is why The TerraMar Project is gaining momentum. Our mission is to
build a global community to give a voice to the most ignored, least explored
part of the planet – the ocean, and specifically the high seas. We are
diligently advocating for the ocean’s inclusion in the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals because, at the end of the day, if the ecosystem
that comprises 71% of the planet (the ocean), and specifically that part of the
ocean called the high seas and international waters which are ruled by no
nation but owned by all – 45% of the planet – if the ocean isn’t included in
these goals, the damage done in the next 15 years may very well be irreversible
or come at so significant a price that it may be politically impossible. This
is the only Earth we’ve got, there’s no Planet B…"
REBEKAH: Again I come back to
John Muir’s statement that closes my PhD dissertation: “When we try to pick out
anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” The Connected Learning movement in K-12
education may open the door for today’s students to solve these new problems in
new ways. It “advocates for broadened access to learning that is socially
embedded, interest-driven, and oriented toward educational, economic, or
political opportunity. Connected learning is realized when a young person is
able to pursue a personal interest or passion with the support of friends and
caring adults, and is in turn able to link this learning and interest to academic
achievement, career success or civic engagement. This model is based on
evidence that the most resilient, adaptive, and effective learning involves
individual interest as well as social support to overcome adversity and provide
recognition.”
Closing
A few years ago I
challenged my students to ‘teach paperless’ with me. Continued advances in
cloud computing have allowed me to ‘go paperless’ in almost every area of my
daily life. This year, I’m actively challenging everyone I know to take the
free and easy “I Love the Ocean” pledge at The TerraMar Project website (http://theterramarproject.org).
Through the efforts of The Terramar Project, one can truly amplify the voice of
the ocean by BEING the voice of the ocean – with just a click! – making a
difference through passion, creativity and harnessing knowledge that can help
to stall climate change on a global scale. It is clear that each of us can take
responsibility to do our own thing to help because it all adds up…
CHRISTINE: Joanna Macy also puts
the possibilities of ‘big data’ into a realistic (IMHO) perspective:
Imagining possible
futures is a surefire way to develop foresight. If we’re only interested in
“facts,” we limit ourselves to looking at what has already happened, which is a
bit like trying to drive a car by looking only in the rearview mirror. To avoid
crashing, we need to look where we’re going. Since we can’t know for sure what
will happen, we are limited to considering possibilities, based on applying a
combination of experience, awareness of trends, and imagination. While
experience equips us well for dealing with familiar situations, our imagination
is essential in formulating creative responses to new and as yet unimagined
challenges.
Dr
Nix and I implore those who listen to this podcast now to think more
creatively, constructively and critically than ever about how today's big data
tools and analytical techniques can be leveraged to improve the quality of life
for all - including planet Earth - from whatever topic fuels your passion.
REBEKAH: Thanks for listening
today.
CHRISTINE: You can find out more at
vTapestry.com.
BOTH: Bye, for now! (vTap
beat and beeps)