2020.05.06 edition
Coronavirus and race. Last week, the COVID Tracking Project (DIP 2020.03.18) launched a beta release of its COVID Racial Data Tracker, built in collaboration with American University’s Antiracist Research & Policy Center. The tracker collects demographic statistics, now published by most states, that disaggregate the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths by race and/or ethnicity. “This is a challenging dataset to compile and code, and our data sources remain in flux, but we offer this beta release for full transparency,” the project’s organizers write; they’re seeking feedback “as we work toward building a complete dataset and getting it into our API and onto the website.”
COVID-19 in prisons. The Marshall Project has been tracking COVID-19 cases and deaths in US prisons. To compile that dataset, every week the publication’s reporters ask each state prison system and the federal Bureau of Prisons “for the total number of coronavirus tests administered to its staff members and prisoners, the cumulative number who tested positive among staff and prisoners, and the numbers of deaths for each group.”
Essential NYC construction sites. New York City’s Department of Buildings has been publishing a dataset and interactive map of construction sites deemed “essential,” and thus eligible to continue work during the coronavirus pandemic. The current list covers more than 6,700 sites, including more than 1,200 at schools, 1,000 for public housing, and 250 related to health care. [h/t Josh Laurito]
Space dollars. The Planetary Science Budget Dataset “integrates the spending history, by year, of every NASA planetary science mission and related activities.” It also calculates funding by destination (e.g., Mars, Venus, the moon, etc.), and annual budget breakdowns for individual missions. The dataset is maintained by The Planetary Society, a nonprofit founded 40 years ago by Carl Sagan, Louis Friedman, and Bruce Murray — and now led by Bill Nye. [h/t Ingrid Burrington]
Love Island. Developer advocate Amy Boyd has assembled a dataset of 96 contestants who appeared on the British dating reality series Love Island from 2016 to 2019, including each contestant’s name, age, profession, and various metrics of success in the competition. [h/t Nick Latocha]