About us

Our mission

Data for Democracy brings together an active, passionate community of people using data to drive better decisions and improve the world in which we live.

Our story

Data for Democracy began as an experiment in December 2016, when people from around the world began to collaborate on data-related problems solely through Slack messages and GitHub commits. With no rules or formal organizational structure, the focus was on getting real and impactful work done with minimal delay.

As of April 2018, the community is based on Slack and GitHub. It has increased to over 3400 e-volunteers spanning a wide range of locations and timezones, and continues to grow every day. These volunteers apply their diverse skills and interests to an equally varied array of projects.

With the expansion of Data For Democracy, we're working to develop a more cohesive structure and set of guidelines to better support volunteers in learning, working, and leading projects while remaining committed to our mission of producing data projects that have a positive and tangible impact on the world.

That said, D4D is community-run! Anybody who wants to contribute to making D4D better is **highly** encouraged to do so! Everything in D4D thus far has come from grassroots ideas proposed and pushed forward by a community member and there's always more room for improvement. Whether it's starting a new project or proposing a new tool for the community to use, we encourage our members to just go for it!

Our goals

* To produce objective, rigorous data analysis that keeps people informed and engaged, and supports them in forming their independent opinions.

* To connect with communities and partners that contribute to positive social change, and help equip them with the tools and technology to support the work they are already doing.

* To make data science transparent and accessible to a wider audience, and create opportunities for passionate and socially conscious people to get involved with using data to serve the public good.