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D3 for Data Scientists, Part I: A re-usable template for combining R and D3 to build interactive visualizations

The path to D3 mastery is dark and full of terrors. D3 itself is a JavaScript (JS) library and on top of that, you’ll need a basic understanding of HTML (Hypertext…

Civis Engineering

Making Interactive Maps of Public Data in R

For a version of this post with interactive maps, check it out on GitHub. Introduction Oftentimes, when working with public data, there will be a geospatial component to the data —…

Civis Data Science, Civis Engineering

2020 Census Kicks Off in Exactly One Year

One year from today, everyone living in the United States will be asked to respond to the decennial Census, our once-in-a-decade chance to do our civic duty. The Census is…

Civis Data Science, Public Sector

Backlash is real — and it’s more common than you’d think

Back in 2017, Dove released a short but highly controversial ad on Facebook. Even though the GIF ad lasted just a few seconds, the backlash over its racial insensitivity immediately caught…

Business

Designing for User Limitations

Beyond the phrase “you are not your user” part 2 The first part of this series alludes to two ideas. One, product design (and its many similarly named, interactive, user-centered siblings) intersects…

Civis Engineering

Beyond the phrase “you are not your user”

As we begin, I’d like you to take a moment to consider something very specific: the life and times of an astronaut. What is it like to be a person…

Civis Data Science

3 Ways Product Managers Can Maximize Stakeholder Engagement

A product manager is responsible for leading a cross-functional development team in building and iterating on a product. A big part of that responsibility is collaborating with people in your…

Business, Civis Data Science

A letter from our CEO: What a Census undercount means for the private sector

Below is an open letter to the business community from Civis Founder and CEO, Dan Wagner. I’m writing today about something near and dear to my data-driven heart: the 2020…

Business, Public Sector

Enabling client independence through a custom R Shiny app

No one likes being dependent on someone else for their day-to-day work. It leads to inefficiencies, a cycle of endless change requests, and a general feeling of powerlessness. Unfortunately, this…

Civis Engineering

Driving donations with the right message for each audience

Many nonprofits find themselves at a difficult impasse: while direct cash assistance may be the most effective way to support the communities they serve, it can also be the most…

Nonprofit

Introducing our employee spotlight series

Here at Civis, we have some of the smartest data-centered minds on our team — but in addition to their day jobs, our employees have a wide array of hobbies,…

Life at Civis

Civis for Good: How our employees support the community

Here at Civis, we understand that data has the power to transform lives. It’s our responsibility to use our “data powers” to serve people and improve their quality of life.…

Life at Civis

Why Civis Signed a U.S. Supreme Court Amicus Brief Supporting Dreamers

Civis employees share a strong belief in the benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion at work and in society. At work, everyone should feel a strong sense of comfort and…

Life at Civis

Avengers: Endgame — How Persuasive is a Trailer for an Already-Hyped Movie?

This blog post contains spoilers for “Avengers: Infinity War.” A big part of my job here at Civis is to test the effectiveness of advertising. I often find myself hypothesizing about advertisements…

Business, Civis Data Science

Civis Research: Educating skeptical parents on the importance of vaccination

By Crystal Son, MPH - Healthcare Analytics Director at Civis Analytics We recently conducted research to answer a question that’s incredibly important to data scientists at Civis: Can we scientifically convince…

Healthcare

My homework assignment from the VP: How to bring data science to cancer research

Earlier this year, Vice President Biden gave me a homework assignment in his dining room. He asked me, along with a few other data and analytics industry folks, to join…

Civis Data Science, Public Sector, Research

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