Interesting data sets

[ehmatthes]

I sometimes find interesting data sets, without having time to put them into a notebook. They are good to have as a resource, and good data sets can inspire interesting projects and project writeups.

NOAA Climatic Data:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/marineocean-data

[ehmatthes]

USGS Elevation Dataset
TopOSM - open topographical map
Open Topography

[bkamapantula]

Do the datasets have to comply with a particular theme?

Data initiative for example hosts lots of data.

[ehmatthes]

Do the datasets have to comply with a particular theme?

No, not at all. I know there are many lists of datasets out there, so we certainly don't need an exhaustive set here. My goal is that once people work through a visualization tutorial, they can then easily find a data set that's interesting to them. So maybe we want to make a list that suggests a few open data sets in a number of broad areas: weather, finance, politics, sports, etc.

My ideas for this overall (introtopython) project are expanding rapidly, and I really look forward to digging back into this more fully in the fall. I would love to see a significant number of visualizations written up. I'd also love to see a section showcasing what people have been able to create after working through parts of introtopython. Someone got in touch on twitter, after working through the earthquake visualization, to show the map she had made. I think it would be good to document the specific things people are able to create as a result of introtopython.

I have been pulled into a couple visualization projects recently, that I will write up when I get a chance. I helped a friend compile a 60+ year dataset of local weather, and we are just starting to dig into that rich resource. In a temperate rainforest, people often focus on rainfall data. But what's more interesting to us as locals, is what days include clear weather? ie we want to know the difference between how many gray overcast drizzly days we have, vs how many days just have showers. Fun to dig into that!

I also started creating elevation profiles for some of our local hikes and adventure races. That's probably the next project I'll write up, because I'd like to do some polished visualizations for some of the more popular races we have.

[bkamapantula]

Thanks for the reply Eric. I often work with visualizations. Most of the visualizations I developed are for network analysis which include client-side implementation (d3 js) as well. I will share some of my work which will require only Python-related knowledge since picking up JavaScript will be cumbersome for students.

[ehmatthes]

I will share some of my work which will require only Python-related knowledge since picking up JavaScript will be cumbersome for students.

Feel free to share some more advanced work, including js add-ons. I started this project with beginners in mind, but I don't see any reason to limit how far we go with some projects. It might mean rebranding the site at some point, and the emphasis should certainly be on helping people new to Python, but it's also good to show how far people can go with Python.

[bkamapantula]

Okay, sounds good. I will create and share it soon.

[ehmatthes]

Alaska map data:
USGS releases updated AK maps
The National Map: Alaska mapping initiative