0024 - Python and Public Data

Course Description

Overview 

There are 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created each day (Forbes, 2018). By equipping yourself and your team with the ability to manage, sort, analyze, process, and draw conclusions from big data, you can make better decisions for your organization and the customers or communities you serve.

This eight-week course teaches you to draw key insights from complex data sets and Canadian public data using the programming language Python. It is a practical, introductory coding course focused on key applications within public policy and decision-making. You will also learn modern technologies and programming techniques that will help you use data to draw meaningful insights and stories.

Take this course individually, or as part of the three-course Data Analytics for Behavioural Insights certificate program. You will receive a certificate for each individual course you successfully complete, and then a certificate upon successful completion of the entire program. If you have successfully completed the first course in the Data Analytics for Behavioural Insights certificate program, you will have background knowledge that will be helpful for this course.

Who Should Enroll 

• Policymakers: Do you develop policies for any public service sector (e.g., health care or municipalities)? Understand how modern data analytics techniques can better inform your decisions.
• Public servants, non-profit and community leaders: Are you working in public service or leading a business improvement area, non-profit, or public office? Gain behavioural insights that can be used to inform your work, improve your community, and increase your chances of success when competing for funding.
• Public service organizations: Do you primarily serve the public sector or the general public? Elevate your understanding about your customers and partners and learn to make more informed decisions that better serve public interest.

What you will learn 

• Leverage public data in ways that are applicable to public policy.
• Identify different data file types (CSV, Excel).
• Write code, read, clean, and analyze data files in Python.
• Build Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression models using Python, Pandas, and StatsModels.
• Use Python to create visualizations of data.

Course Details 

• Instruction from a professional data expert in a course designed by University of Waterloo faculty.
• Opportunities to discuss your learning with others in the course.
• Curated case studies and content based on Canadian public data.
• Regular quizzes to test your knowledge throughout the course.
• Instructor support for an independent research assignment that showcases your learning.
• Attendance requirement: It is highly recommended that participants attend live sessions, but it is not required. Live sessions will be recorded and available for all participants to view.