2016.11.02 edition
Medicare beneficiaries. The U.S. government’s Medicare Health Outcomes Survey tracks the “physical and mental health and well-being” of Americans covered by Medicare. Each survey, currently available for 1998–2000 to 2012–2014, follows a sample of Medicare beneficiaries for two years, and asks them questions along the lines of, “In the past 12 months, have you had a problem with balance or walking?” The 2012–2014 data includes (at least partial) responses from 296,320 people. [h/t Ricardo Pietrobon]
Where we live and build. The European Commission’s Global Human Settlement Layer combines satellite imagery and census data to measure three things: population, building density, and urban/rural classification. The resulting datasets are fairly detailed — they provide population estimates for every 250-meter square in the world, for example — and are available for 1975, 1990, 2000, and 2015. [h/t Alaistair Rae]
Complaints against NYC police. Earlier this autumn, New York City began publishing a dataset of official citizen complaints against the city’s police, for every case closed since 2006. For each of the 200,000+ allegations, the main dataset includes various details about the incident — e.g., where it took place, and whether there’s video evidence — but no information about the officer involved. Related: Similar data from Indianapolis, which includes demographic information about the complained-against officers but not their names. Also related: “The local projects that are making police complaint data open and accessible.” Previously: Complaints against Chicago police, featured Nov. 11, 2015. [h/t Eve Ahearn]
Millions of Amazon reviews. Julian McAuley, an assistant professor at UC San Diego, has collected a massive amount of user-generated data from Amazon.com, including 142.8 million reviews and 1.4 million answered Q&As. (As of mid-2014, Sophie la Girafe was the most-reviewed item in the baby category. Backstory here.) Much of the data can be downloaded directly, but the largest files require contacting McAuley for access. [h/t Reddit user samofny]
The dangerous dogs of Austin, Texas. The city publishes a spreadsheet — last updated in May — of local dogs who’ve officially been “declared dangerous.” (“They have attacked in the past. The owner is required to provide $100,000 in financial responsibility. If they attack again the court could order them put to sleep.”) The file currently contains 63 entries, from a Labrador named Charlie to a Blue Lacy named Flint. [h/t Sharon Machlis]