Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

OCTOBER 29, 2010

Benetech Statistical Expert Testifies in Guatemala Disappearance Case The Benetech Human Rights Program uses cutting edge computing methods and statistical analysis to provide objective evidence of human rights violations.

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Guatemala Statistics National Analysis 145

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 10, 2011

I invite you to read Daniel’s first-person account of his expert testimony as published in the statistical magazine Chance. I’m proud to report here that, at the request of the Attorney General of Guatemala, our team has prepared statistical analysis to inform the prosecutions of these high-profile officials.

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International Guatemala Colombia Analysis 150

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

APRIL 23, 2010

The statistical dataset is available on our website. The dataset can be used to replicate the analysis presented in our report, "Descriptive Statistics From Statements to the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission," and for extended analysis of statistical patterns of human rights violations reported to the TRC.

Liberia 100

Liberia Data Statistics Analysis 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 30, 2010

Expert testimony by Benetech statistical consultant Daniel Guzmán provided critical evidence in the conviction of the former Guatemalan National Police officers Abraham Lancerio Gómez and Héctor Roderico Ramírez. Prosecutors announced that Benetech’s analysis of archive contents will be a key part of future investigations.

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Guatemala Help Analysis Statistics 149

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 15, 2013

Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimated earlier this year that about 3 million veterans, or 14 percent of the total veteran population, had a service-connected disability. For veterans with visual impairments, traumatic brain injuries or other disabilities, reading standard print is difficult, if not impossible.

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Support United States Literacy Brain 179

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 6, 2009

I managed the project in which we analyzed more than 17,000 victim and witness statements collected by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in Liberia and compiled the data into a report entitled "Descriptive Statistics From Statements to the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission." Head office of the TRC in Monrovia, Liberia.

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Liberia Statistics Analysis United States 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 9, 2014

Gallucci noted that there was one statistic that matters to him: “There are 39 million girls globally that should be in secondary education, and who are not.”

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Education Philanthropy Africa Foundation 164

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 10, 2011

He talked about the opportunities and challenges he sees ahead, especially as technology tools continue to be adopted by more of the human rights community, from cell phones to Facebook.

Literacy 150

Literacy Disaster Phone Press 150

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 18, 2006

Benetech staff Tamy Guberek, Romesh Silva and Daniel Guzmán are currently in Guatemala City helping the Ombudsman's Office to refine and implement a series of statistical pilot studies conceived by Benetech's Human Rights Program Director Patrick Ball.

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Guatemala Statistics National Sample 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 6, 2006

On January 4, some of the key statistical findings were disclosed in a press release that corrects some of the incorrect press reports. However, some of the results we helped create are starting to be released. This is very important work for us. It reminds me of the Caltech motto: "the truth shall make you free."

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Timor Statistics Press History 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 17, 2010

These researchers set the worldwide standard for calculating scientifically sound statistics and quantitative findings that support human rights claims which are transparently, demonstrably, undeniably true. HRDAG analysis of formerly hidden data has promoted respect for human rights and raised the cost of crimes against humanity.

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Chad Guatemala Data Liberia 124

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 11, 2006

Counting the Human Cost in East Timor Our Human Rights Group just released the statistical report detailing widespread and systematic violations in Timor-Leste during the period 1974-1999. Benetech's statistical analysis establishes that at least 102,800 (+/- 11,000) Timorese died as a result of the conflict.

Timor 100

Timor Hunger Statistics Analysis 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 17, 2010

In most of the papers I was reading on the statistical methodology I was trying to employ and modify, the information about the counts described reported cases of a rare disease.

Colombia 122

Colombia Statistics Analysis Data 122

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 28, 2011

We’re reacting to the following claim: “Data collected using unbounded crowdsourcing (non-representative sampling) largely in the form of SMS from the disaster affected population in Port-au-Prince can predict, with surprisingly high accuracy and statistical significance, the location and extent of structural damage post-earthquake.”

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Issue Data Haiti Stream 160

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 15, 2013

Dr. Patrick Ball, who has led our Human Rights Program since 2003, now heads HRDAG as its Executive Director and Dr.

Analysis 174

Analysis Project Open Source Analytics 174

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

On February 1st, two people on the team spun out to become an independent nonprofit—the Human Rights Data Analysis Group —to focus on the statistical and analytical side of our human rights work. Our flagship Martus software project marks its tenth anniversary of bringing strong crypto to human rights activists.

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India Literacy Global Accessibility 142

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 1, 2012

Now that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports regularly on the employment situation for people with disabilities, there is strong evidence that it has gotten disproportionately worse for workers with disabilities since 2009. history, but the work ensuring equality of opportunity is far from over.

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Hosting San Francisco Law Education 140

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 8, 2011

HRP’s statistical analysis of evidence from the Guatemalan National Police Archives, which contains some 80 million documents, has helped to establish forced disappearance as a crime in Guatemala. Now I can report that the two policemen were convicted and sentenced to forty years each for the disappearance of Edgar Fernando García.

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Guatemala Literacy Qatar Open Source 159

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 8, 2005

Patrick Ball is in Colombia for most of the next three months teaching the techniques of human rights statistics and information processing at the National University there. Our human rights group is active all over the place right now. Africa is definitely getting more attention from us. Kristen Cibelli is on her way to Uganda right now.

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Colombia Nigeria Uganda Africa 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 20, 2011

Now she’s a Special Project Coordinator for the Guam Bureau of Statistics and Plans Guam Coastal Management Program where she uses Miradi to prioritize threats to Guam ecosystems. Elaina learned how to use Miradi while working on a Guam watershed plan with CMP member The Nature Conservancy.

Guam 124

Guam Conservancy Software Help 124

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 21, 2006

Romesh Silva, a statistician with Benetech's Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) , has provided key statistical analysis for a Human Rights Watch report issued this week documenting torture and unlawful killings by Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite anti-crime and anti-terrorism force.

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Bangladesh Data Analysis Policy 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 3, 2004

Benetech will conduct statistical analysis of the Commission's four databases, including personal testimonies, gravesite registries, military unit deployment records and a retrospective mortality survey.

Timor 100

Timor Analysis Statistics Database 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 5, 2004

Ball's chapter looks at the application of data mining and statistical techniques to human rights, and he reflects more generally on the role of science in human rights activism. He concludes "Of course, human rights work is about much more than methodology.

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Chapter Statistics Technique Reflection 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

APRIL 7, 2011

Thanks to commenter Differance bringing up in response to to our last post on this topic that made me want to take a new tack. You're absolutely right that information quality comes from people and that data's fitness for a particular purpose is very contextual. To continue in this direction, let’s look at how people use this information.

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Picture Data Disaster Map 140

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 2, 2009

She hopes to use the tools she learned at Benetech – including new programming languages, codes and statistics – to work on human rights projects around the world. As an intern, Kristian has spent her summer doing what she loves: statistical analysis. And she's been getting her chance to do it here at Benetech.

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Los Angeles South Africa United States Statistics 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

A possible solution to overcome the bias of single lists is to use a statistical method known as multiple systems estimation ( MSE ), which can provide estimates for those cases that weren’t recorded in any list. In statistical terms, the two sources are likely to be positively correlated, which biases the estimate downward.

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Iraq Data Timor Press 134

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 22, 2012

Davis with minors in Education and Statistics. We are sincerely grateful to our enthusiastic and dedicated group of volunteers. Here is more about each one in their own words! Nilofer Chollampat I’m a Natural Science major at U.C. I was born and brought up in Palo Alto and graduated from Gunn High School a year ago.

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Volunteer San Francisco Team San Jose 129

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 11, 2009

The initial results of the HRDAG analysis will be presented at a special session of the meetings of the American Statistical Association in August, 2009. The analysis also attempts to answer what kind of policies and practices the police employed in relation to human rights abuses.

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Montenegro Guatemala Colombia National 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 29, 2011

Students do not have to be blind to have an IEP: it’s simple to demonstrate that from statistics widely published by the Department of Education (the blind and visually impaired are a very small fraction of students with IEPs). Students do not have to be blind to qualify under the copyright exception.

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Student Accessibility New Jersey Learning 145

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

OCTOBER 21, 2008

Human Rights Patrick Ball recently spent a month at the International Criminal Court (ICC), where he held office hours and helped prosecutors use quantitative data and statistical analysis to pursue war crimes cases. If you're interested in learning more or would like to download the software, visit the website at www.miradi.org.

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Darfur Sri Lanka Liberia Colombia 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 22, 2010

These numbers are the statistical equivalent of hearsay. These databases may be useful collections of cases, and organizing information in this form enables many non-statistical descriptions of violence. In our experience, no two convenience samples about the same country tell the same statistical story. Quite the opposite.

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Congo Sample Statistics Authoring 118

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 13, 2011

Working with groups that range from front-line activists to truth commissions and war crimes tribunals, we’re using databases, data security and statistical analyses to realize positive change. Our team is helping activists and organizations worldwide ensure that the truth matters.

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