FIT5205 Data in society

In the digital world, how we communicate, conduct business and socialize is revolutionising our way of life. The explosion of data and discovery are transforming the way we live and work, altering relationships between government and citizens, businesses and consumers, the researchers and the researched, the public and private sectors, the individual and society. This unit explores how big data analytics can potentially help grow the economy, improve health and education, support national security, protect the environment, enable more energy efficiency, drive innovation and progress, and support more resilient, sustainable communities and cultures. It also addresses the risks associated with the application of big data analytics in government and big business to support greater surveillance of citizen by state and consumers by business, disempower individuals and vulnerable communities, support discrimination, threaten social inclusion, social justice, human and civil rights, self-determination and privacy, and widen the divide between the data haves and have-nots.

The unit will cover: introduction to social, cultural and heritage informatics; building digital media/data ecosystems and using data technologies to achieve the benefits and mitigate the risks of big data; developing socio-legal and policy frameworks to ensure transparency, good governance, accountability and ethical practice; big data rights regimes - rights in data, rights to self determination, privacy rights, access rights, discovery rights, IP and copyright; use of big data to support resilient, sustainable communities and cultures.