An Interview with the Designer of Decoding Medellín

‍What is “Decoding Security, Coexistence, and Surveillance in Medellín” and how does it differ from “We are Recording You,” the research sprint that Edgelands did in the fall of 2021?

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“Decoding” is a series of data workshops for those both interested and with experience in data analysis and visualization. The objective is to gain experience analyzing the open data that is gathered on citizens and the security of the city  through what we could call surveillance efforts. Our aim is to create a space to develop skill sets that allow participants to respond to security questions that have the potential to develop into policy or public initiatives.

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The difference with We are Recording You is that the Decoding workshops are directed specifically towards a population with skills in data analysis and are meant to be hands-on from the beginning. If you observe the schedule of both workshops, you’ll see that We are Recording You had many more guest speakers and more time dedicated to discussion of topics related to security and surveillance. We think that both programs compliment one another quite well. In fact, one of the participants of We are Recording You attended the first few sessions of Decoding (although she had to stop because she started a new job).

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How is the program designed?

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Los participantes se reúnen durante 8 semanas. En la semana 9, presentarán los resultados de su investigación a un público de nuestra red Edgelands: responsables de la toma de decisiones, académicos y otras personas relevantes para el debate.

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• Apoyadores del proyecto: son grupos o instituciones de Medellín que trabajan en temas de seguridad y que han propuesto preguntas para que los participantes las resuelvan a lo largo de las 8 semanas del taller. En nuestro caso, estos grupos son el Centro de Análisis Político de la Universidad EAFIT (CAP), el Sistema de Información para la Seguridad y la Convivencia (SISC) y la Casa de las Estrategias.
• Mentores: son 6 expertos en análisis de datos que se encargan de uno de cada uno de nuestros grupos de proyecto. Guían a los participantes en su trabajo.
• Participantes: Unos 25 participantes se reúnen regularmente y se dividen en 6 grupos de trabajo. La mayoría de los participantes son economistas, ingenieros matemáticos y politólogos (y un par de personas que estudian psicología o negocios). Los participantes fueron distribuidos en grupos de trabajo en función de sus respuestas a la solicitud, así como de los requisitos técnicos de cada proyecto.
• También hemos contado con ponentes invitados en casi todas las sesiones: se trata de expertos en datos que han trabajado en asuntos relacionados con la seguridad en Colombia y fuera de ella. 

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¿Cómo es una sesión típica?

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Una sesión típica consiste en:

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1. El equipo de Edgelands hace un breve resumen de la sesión anterior y hace anuncios generales;
2. En ocasiones (y en la mayoría de las sesiones hasta este momento), una presentación a cargo de un ponente invitado que comparte su experiencia en investigación aplicada y el papel de los datos en su investigación; y
3. Group work (participants and mentors) to develop the research questions that the project supporters have pitched.

What are some of the questions that participants are currently researching?

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Our six workgroups are investigating the following questions:

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• Gender-based violence in Medellín: We are analyzing an array of metrics to establish if there are zones of the city in which vulnerable groups are less likely to ask for help before a violent act or a femicide (project supporters: Casa de las Estrategias & CAP. Mentor: Sarah Henao)
• Criminal “ghettos:” Data analysis to determine if it is possible to deduce zones of the city where there are dynamics of a “ghetto” (project supporter: Casa de las Estrategias. Mentor: Santiago Rodríguez)
• Sentiment analysis on Twitter: A pilot program that gathers tweets related to the perception of security in Medellín and studies how they are related with existing metrics of security. (project supporter: SISC. Mentor: Felipe Mira)
• Study on the correlation between “hard” metrics of security (in this case, theft) and perception (project supporter: SISC. Mentor: Andrés Pérez
• Study on the relation between urban configuration and the dynamics of security (project supporter: SISC. Mentor: Jessica Salazar)
• Exploration of the ways to visualize and communicate homicide rates in Medellín to the public (project supporter: Casa de las Estrategias. Mentor: Manuela Henao)

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How does this research apply to real life issues?

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All the research projects were pitched by the project supporters mentioned. These projects are based on long-standing issues in the city. It’s our hope that the outcome of these research projects can offer our project supporters a space or a buffer (as these public-facing organizations - along with many others - rarely have the time to explore such questions as they are always attending to urgent issues) to resolve these types of innovative questions and also accelerate their own internal processes with how they engage with the public. The work that SISC does is directly related to public policy, as they are part of the Secretariat of Security. Casa de las Estrategias is one of the most important actors in the city, via the focus of a think-do-tank.

How can one “decode” security, surveillance, and/or coexistence?

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One can do so with the understanding that there’s not just one unique code and that data is always a limited representation of reality (but not to rule it out, for this reason either!). The true decoding comes when someone understands the process through which data and numbers end up being representations and can interpret them.

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Has anything surprised you about the program so far?

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The huge interest that we received from all those who applied although the time commitment is demanding — almost as long as an entire academic semester!

How will the program finish?

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The final session will consist of the workgroups presenting the results of their research to the project supporters, guest speakers, and others within the Edgelands network. We plan to publish the results of this research on our website and social media and ensure that this research has the biggest impact possible. Throughout all this, the more new alliances and projects that can come from our work in these workshops, the better!