There’s something so satisfying (for programmers anyway) about obtaining a huge chunk of raw, frenzied data and pounding it into a shape that integrates nicely into a normalized database, and cranking out some slick display algorithms for data visualization. Generally gone are the days when a client emerges with such a simple, sweet, organizational pleasure.
Enter OUSD (Oakland Unified School District)!
I admit it; I recently got my fix. They came to us with the ceremonial Excel file on which the livelihood of an entire organization is founded. “With great data comes great responsibility,” wrote the great Stan Lee. (Or was it “with great power…”?) At any rate, our responsibility is clear: make-data-look-useful. Specifically: Learn what the data means. Store it in a straightforward and flexible manner. Handle manipulation of the data according to its prescribed relationships. Explore the various possible means of generating a visual display of said data and its structure so that human beings can interpret it.
This task presented some interesting aspects. Read more »