Two weeks of data delights for LDF2018
The Leeds Digital Festival is in its third year and is bigger than ever - there are now two weeks of amazing digital talks and workshops! That won't stop it being any less jam-packed but at least now you get to enjoy it for that extra week ;)
Last year, ODI Leeds offered an extensive and varied schedule of events that included: lightning talks from some of the best and brightest in Leeds and beyond at our Showcase; a special guest appearance from Jeni Tennison, CEO of the Open Data Institute; open data training; innovation workshop with Rob Wilmot, founder of Freeserve; a special Lunchtime Lecture streamed from Leeds to the rest of the world; and we finished with the mind-bending Algorave.
So what do we have planned for this year?
With two weeks to plan for, this has given us a bit more freedom and flexibility when it comes to event planning. As you might expect with such a beautiful space, we've already had lots of enquiries for people to hold their own LDF events at our place, including firm favourites Leeds DevOps, and a team building day delivered by LIDA. We're aiming for that good balance of our own events, whilst also offering support and being a venue for others. We will update this post as new events get confirmed.
Monday 16 April - ODI Leeds Showcase
Kicking things off in style (as always), we're going to start as we mean to go on - by highlighting the amazing people in the data community and some of the truly innovative projects they've been working on. We're still putting together the list of speakers so if you have a data project or just something awesome to share about data, please get in touch with Amy at amy.evans@odileeds.org
Free
Friday 20 April - ODI Leeds Open House
The first week of LDF will likely be jam-packed. You've seen and done loads and now you need somewhere to chill out, maybe work away from the usual office for the day? Why not pop along to our 'open house' - a day of free coworking from 9am in a beautiful, light space with great views and plenty of tea/coffee and superfast wifi.
Free
Friday 20 April - ODI Fridays Lunchtime Lecture Special - Tech Nation 2018
Normally held in the London headquarters of the Open Data Institute, the ODI Fridays Lunchtime Lectures are a weekly talk delivered over a lunchtime and serves to highlight the varied world of data and data projects. As a special for the Leeds Digital Festival, we will be hosting the talk at ODI Leeds! We will have Henri Egle Sorotos from Tech Nation to talk about this year's Tech Nation report - the annual state of the union on UK tech and digital industries. 2018 was a landmark year for the report, and the first time significant steps were taken to open up the data and research methods. This lecture will highlight the political, technical and cultural changes required to open the report and the data behind it.
Free
Friday 20 April - ODI Leeds Social
Let us know you're coming via Attending.io
Last year, ODI Leeds went through an extensive refurb following the awarding of a Tech Hub Fund grant. All of our regulars have had a chance to see and experience the new look and facilities so now it's time for everyone to come and have a look! What better way to celebrate the refurb than with a fabulous party? All proceeds go to Simon on the Streets and Meningitis Research Foundation.
Recommended entry donation: £5
Tuesday 24 April - IoT Showcase
The Internet-of-Things is a fast growing area of the technology landscape, offering products and solutions from the industrial to the sublimely bizarre! You will find low-power weather-proof sensors helping to analyse and combat flooding in vulnerable areas. You will also find internet-connected smoothie makers and pet feeders. The variety goes on and on!
The IoT Showcase seeks to bring together some of the most passionate and engaged people in Leeds and beyond to talk about the benefits and impact of IoT and show off their projects.
Free
Wednesday 25 April - ODI HQ 'Data Science' Training
For more details and how to register, see this page.
Dr Dave Tarrant, senior trainer and the lead Data Scientist for the Open Data Institute, will be delivering one of their newest and most in-depth training days for the good folk of Leeds. Unlike the beginner training we offered last year, this takes things up a gear and takes you through the process of wrangling data in R and creating visualisations. For further details on the course content and requirements, visit the course page on the ODI website.
Early bird ticket (until 25 March) - £250
Regular price - £500
To register your interest or to book a place on this training day, please email Kathryn at kathryn.connell@odileeds.org
Thursday 26 April - The Future of Transport
The world of transport is starting to embrace digital and data like never before, and the past 18 months has seen a huge increase (and successful turnout) for transport-related innovation work here at ODI Leeds - see TravelHack, TravelHack 2 and Databus for more details. There is an appetite for more digital innovation in transport and in order to meet that demand, ODI Leeds: Transport was founded earlier this year. The Future of Transport will showcase the vast potential in the use of digital and data for revolutionising transport, from smart ticketing to dockless bikes to mobility-as-a-service and more.
Free
