Bild vom zentrum Jena mit stilisiertem Netzwerk überlagert

Datenwerkstatt Jena 2025

Information on the Data Literacy Datathon at the University Jena
Bild vom zentrum Jena mit stilisiertem Netzwerk überlagert
Picture: Volker Schwartze

Here you can find detailed information about the "Datenwerkstatt Jena 2025" which will take place at the University Jena 24 - 28 March

Organisational Points

Date: March 24th - 28th, 2025
Location: August-Bebel-Straße 4
Registration: Link to the registration formExternal link

Preparation period

Before the start of the 3-day working period, we will be offering preparatory workshops on March 24 and 25 in which we will give you introductions to digital tools to help you process the challenges. All offers during this time are optional and can be taken up according to your own interests.

Project work
As part of the event, participants will work in interdisciplinary teams on one of the challenges from March 26 - 28. Seminar rooms will be available for the groups from 10 am to 6 pm during the event. There we offer you:

  • Work places for the groups,
  • Support from mentors with technical or methodological questions,
  • small refreshments and snacks.

The groups are not limited to the "10-to-6" timeframe to work on the challenges and can organize their work on the project independently. There are only a few agenda items for which attendance is mandatory. These will be announced before the start of the event.

 

Call for Challenges

We have already secured partners from the University of Jena, the Thuringian University and State Library and the Jena City Administration for the event.

However, we would also like to give researchers, lecturers and students the opportunity to contribute their data and challenges to the Datathon, which they would like to work on together with the participants. We are therefore currently looking for interested contributors who would like to take part in the Datathon with their own challenge.

The challenges can range from conceptual questions on data collection and organization to more complex data analyses or possibilities for the visual preparation of data (see “The Challenges”).

Interested researchers, lecturers and students can send us suggestions for a challenge by e-mail: dataliteracy@uni-jena.de
Deadline is the 31 January 2025.

The Challenges

Here are descriptions of the different challenges. Categories are provided to help you better understand the nature of each challenge.

Classic: Data and questions are provided by our partners and are to be solved through data analysis.

Conceptual: Development of concepts for answering questions (What data is needed? How can it be obtained? How can it be made usable for others?)

Creative: Development of, for example, visualizations, infographics, or dashboards on various topics.

The challenges section is currently under construction and will be extended over time.

  • 3D and Cultural Heritage – What and how? (ThULB Jena)

    Challenge type: conceptionell, creative

    3D digitization and visualization is becoming increasingly important in museums and university collections in research and education (see the activities of AG3DExternal link). Many institutions now present 3D assets on their portals and in digital exhibitions. At the same time, hardly anyone from the cultural institutions is able to create and edit them themselves - this should change!

    In the challenge, participants can experiment with the photogrammetry process to create 3D models - either on provided M2 Macbooks with the app PhotoCatch or on the participants' Windows and Linux systems with, for example, COLMAP or Alicevision Meshroom. The aim is to document the experiments on GitHub - digiKulTh/Datenwerkstatt2025External link in order to collect best practice examples of tools and workflows for future courses and workshops on 3D in cultural institutions and to find out what is possible with comparatively simple means. This is also about gaining initial experience for us. Everything is allowed and interesting!

  • Better forecasting and communicating election results (City of Jena)

    Last year, elections were held at all levels in Jena/Thuringia: City Council, European Parliament, State Parliament and the Mayor.

    The election data is always available in the same organizational units: 97 polling districts and 40 postal voting districts. These have different sizes, different numbers of potential voters and report their constituency results at different speeds. In addition, the electoral districts differ greatly in terms of voting behavior.

    At the same time, the outcome of elections is becoming increasingly differentiated. The times when the constituency winner won over 40% of the votes in a constituency are rare in Jena. This raises the question of how these results can be presented appropriately.

    The following questions are of great interest:

    • How can conclusions be drawn from the constituencies received on election night about the overall result later on?
    • Can a prediction model for the overall urban result be derived from the polling stations reporting early?
    • How does the voting behavior of postal voters differ from that of ballot box voters?
    • What type of presentation should be chosen? Are cards still the appropriate form?

    When working on the challenge , participants also have the opportunity to ask and examine their own sub-questions.

Datathon Bootcamp

Here you'll find information about the introductory workshops for the Datathon. The list is currently under construction and will be further revised until the event.

Datum Uhrzeit Thema Trainer
24 March TBD Grundlagen des Daten- und Projektmanagements TBD
  TBD 3D Modellierung mit Blender Johannes Kretzschmar
25 March 9:00 - 17:00 Crash Course R Martin Kerntopf, TBD
  9:00 - 17:00 Crash Course Python Volker Schwartze, TBD