The ShowMeBox is a proposal for a computer with a purpose in connection with DebConf16 in Cape Town.
Idea
The idea with the ShowMeBox project is to make it possible for us to have a competition like the following in the months up to DebConf16:
- Challenge to students!
Get a ShowMeBox and use the included open source data analysis software to make a visualization that shows an interesting aspect of some publicly available data in your region.
The competition is imagined to have the following specifics:
There will be one or more prizes, with the main one being presentation at DebConf16 (other factors depend on sponsors).
For Cape Town the competition is based on the local open data initiative; other regions may have similar projects but we do not know if we can support non-English speaking participants.
- The competition otherwise mimics a similar "data hackathon" competition held in New York city by Two Sigma (details on the mailing list).
Prior experience suggests that it is advisable to have the competition for 2 days with all the groups together with access to advisors. Should it perhaps be during DebCamp?
Finally, the project is of course strictly limited to DFSG-free software and data sources, and does not include any means of advertising services or proprietary software or data feeds: it is all about promoting Debian and the art of open data analytics. (This does not limit quoting sponsors and other kinds of contributors with their logo, etc., of course, as we see fit.)
Hardware
ShowMeBox has these technical characteristics:
- Self-contained computing device that can be powered from mains or battery.
Internet connectivity through multiple wireless interfaces (wifi and 3/4G).
- LAN connectivity through local wireless and wired network.
- "Small server" footprint, i.e. 1-2 cores, less than 1 GB of RAM, and SDCARD storage.
Boards we currently consider:
Name |
Processor |
RAM |
battery |
Wifi |
Ethernet |
Price |
|
OLinuXino A20 LIME2 |
1GHz dual-core Allwinner |
1GB |
|
|
|
|
$56 |
OLinuXino A20 LIME |
1GHz dual-core Allwinner |
½GB |
|
|
|
|
$43 |
Cubieboard2-Dual |
1GHz dual-core Allwinner |
1GB |
|
|
|
|
$51 |
Cubieboard3 |
1GHz dual-core Allwinner |
2GB |
|
|
|
|
$86 |
Prices are including case, but excluding GSM modem, SDCARD, wifi (where not builtin) or battery.
See also CheapServerBoxHardware and WikiPedia board comparisons.
Note: OLinuXino boards ships with a 220V power adapter, which should be suitable for use in South Africa. For use in e.g. the US, and possibly for other boards, suitable power supply may be an added cost.
Software
ShowMeBox will come loaded with the following software:
- Standard Debian GNU/Linux system.
Web-based notebook tool for data analysis.
- Tutorial examples (using preloaded data) of how visualizations can be built.
Data
Interesting sources of Open Data usable for processing with ShowMeBox boxes.
Code4SA Project and for Journalists- they love open data, 11 projects listed on the site. Some examples:
MapIt: Geolocation and boundary API for provinces, municipalities, wards and more in South Africa.
Wazimap: Detailed demographics and election results for everywhere in South Africa
Open Data Portal Their "open data portal for South African data that doesn't otherwise have a home".
https://opendata.stackexchange.com/ - forum to discuss locations and qualities of data sources
Tools
Software tools relevant to be included as integral part of ShowMeBox system.
Notebooks
iPython - Simple notebook tool, mainly for Python code. Available in Debian, with several notebooks packaged:
python-mpld3 - Matplotlib and D3
python-mvpa2-doc - pattern classification analyses (biased towards neuro imaging)
isympy - symbolic mathematics
python-sardana - Supervision, Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system
Jupyter - Notebook framework written in Python to integrate "kernels", one of which is iPython. Not in Debian, but ?being packaged.
Beaker - Notebook framework written in Java to integrate "plugins", one of which is a wrapper for Jupyter kernels. Not in Debian, but ?being packaged. Video demo.
Flows
Node-RED - tool for wiring together hardware devices, APIs and online services in new and interesting ways.
TensorFlow - visual machine learning (a.k.a. artificial intelligence) including iPython notebooks, claimed to be usable for highscool students.
Projects
Links for this project, and to inspiring projects similar to ShowMeBox project.
/Questions - Questions or uncertainties regarding the project.
Our code.
Ben Wellington's TEDx talk - interesting talk on what can be done with data analysis, using New York as an example and his work on I Quant NY blog.
Story Telling With Data Visualization Challenge is another example of a competition like what we are proposing.
People
?BernelleVerster (Cape Town Organization)
?GrahamInggs (Cape Town Organizaton)
JonasSmedegaard (Hardware and Debian base install)
- vasudevkamath (Debian base install)
KristofferRose (Data Analysis Software)
?SiriReiter (Visual Communication)
Development is done at Alioth, coordinated by mail with code tracked in git.
Organizations
Relevant organisational links (not affiliated).
https://www.aims.ac.za/ - African Institute of Mathematical Sciences.
https://www.aims.ac.za/en/aimssec/about - AIMS Schools Enrichment Centre
http://akirachix.com/ - teaching organization in Kenya.
http://www.uct.ac.za/ - University of Cape Town, hosting DebConf16.
http://www.codebridge.co.za/ - ?CodeBridge, a civic technology lab that brings together programmers, activists and data journalists to create software that addresses difficult social problems.
http://www.datacarpentry.org/ - Data Carpentry develops and teaches workshops on the fundamental data skills needed to conduct research."Our initial target audience is learners who have little to no prior computational experience"
http://innovatesa.org/ - Innovate South Africa provides a platform to ignite creative thinking, to nurture invention and encourage entrepreneurship among young people. Innovate South Africa is inspiring and empowering a cohort of young problem solvers that address challenges they truly understand.