wicked_problems

1) What did Hans Rosling say about his survey of the new students at the Karolinska Institute and how they compared with the Chimpanzees (as well as the faculty who decide the Nobel)? What is the significance of the results from his informal survey on preconceived ideas?

Rosling joked that Chimpanzees would score better than his students because they would be picking at random. The faculty was also on par with the chimpanzee’s percentage right which he joked about as well. Beyond the jokes he was making however, Rosling concluded that the data around countries and poverty was incredibly important and not as well known as one might expect. The results of the survey show that there are preconceived ideas about countries and their economic status that are unduly assumed and also how “first world” or “western world” countries view the others as “third world” and separate.

2) What type of change took place in Asia that preceded economic growth? Why was this type of change significant?

The social change that took place in Asia preceded economic growth. This change was significant because it showed that there is a large social and cultural aspect in a country’s economic growth and it isn’t strictly reliant on politics or other outside factors.

3) In accordance with Hans Rosling's TED talk, what is the relationship between child mortality and GDP per capita?

Child mortality has a positive relationship with GDP per capita. The better the GDP the better the child mortality rate is in the majority of cases and vice versa as well. Rosling talks about how “health comes before wealth” and that countries having better health and child mortality rates end up with a better GDP. He believes that is the order of correlation/tie-ins of the data.

4) In terms of the income distribution, how has the world changed from 1962 till 2003?

The world has moved forward in income distribution and moved away from higher percentages of poverty. There are still many instances of low incomes and poverty, but the movement is occurring and the world is progressing. It shows signs of following the same routes and is a promising trend in data for humanity and positive health for all.

5) What is the significance of how Hans Rosling uses data to describe global human development in terms of very high spatial and temporal resolutions? How does this relate to his previous observation regarding preconceived ideas?

Hans Rosling uses data to describe human development by examining the GDP and child mortality rates and how countries and clusters of countries are growing over time. Rosling describing global human development and using data in this way makes improvement very tangible and within control and is a promising trend. This relates to the observation of preconceived ideas like “we and them” because globally nations are closing that gap and beginning to turn into simply “us”. He hopes to promise there won’t be as great of a gap as there is now and is hopeful for the future.

6) In your opinion, why was Hans Rosling’s work with the Gapminder project significant to the remarkable process in the area of data science and human development?

I think Hans Rosling’s work with the Gapminder project was significant because they were both working to analyze data and relationships around the world with respect to health and as well as striving to create a free database and make the information accessible. I believe that getting the country’s data accessible would be important. By pairing it up with history a data scientist could start to hone in on what aspects or qualities function as a catalyst for positive change in mortality and GDP.