'I Quant NY' Brings Data Journalism to the People

In a recent interview with Noah Davis on Pacific Standard, Ben Wellington discusses his blog, I Quant NY, which stemmed from his Pratt Institute course on NYC Open Data. Posting his discoveries on the website, which can range from the farthest Brooklyn apartment to a subway stop to the fire hydrant that brought in the most ticket revenue for the city, Wellington's findings have not only received substantial media attention but have also influenced policy.

In the interview, Wellington shares how his discoveries are led by asking the right questions, and do not involve complex algorithms or high-level statistical knowledge. He says, "If you look through Freakanomics, they aren’t doing the fanciest analysis. They are looking at one variable, but they are looking at it from a new angle. For the most part, all my work is just counts and means. The fanciest thing is a correlation."

As a utilizer of open data, Wellington believes that this new powerful tool "plays two roles. You’re leveraging the power of people who are passionate to find things... On the other hand, it’s also a bit of a watchdog with transparency and accountability."