About

====== What is Data{Meet}? ====== DataMeet was started on January 26th 2011 by a handful of data enthusiasts who started a google group where people can share tips for working with data. “The intent was always to work on data in India and to find others doing the same. Since there were many data groups in London I felt there should be one for India.” Anand S one of the founders.

The first few members were Thej, Naveen, Bala and Manu, theywere all working with data in some capacity either professional or personal. Naveen had just started Gramener a data analytics firm,Bala and Manu had started Report Bee, on data analysis for education, Thej was working at Janaagraha and Infosys on data projects. They all shared a passion for sharing and open data, and other open source technologies. They called it DataMeet because “it was available” then invited people they knew to join the list and had Skype calls about sharing data science tips. You can see the minutes from the first meeting here. Eventually the group started to attract non tech people who have to deal with data issues in India and a small meetup in Bangalore was started. The Bangalore group decided to do an Open Data Camp to explore the larger issues and meet more people who care about the status of data in India.

Today the group has grown to encompass many people, ideas, projects, solutions, and challenges that using data in India presents. With 1500 people and growing on the Google group, 5 active city chapters, trainings and events to promote and use open data, DataMeet is continuously looking for ways to bring open data to the forefront.

====== Who is Data{Meet}? ====== DataMeet is made up of volunteers from around the country. [[http://datameet.org/about/|About DataMeet]]

The lead organizer is Nisha Thompson.

The Chairman is Thejesh GN and

Anand S is a Trustee.

The chapters are run by volunteers who wanted to build a strong network in their areas. You can meet the organizers on the chapter pages. See chapter pages for more information.

====== What do we do? ====== * DataMeet creates spaces for people to discuss and share data. The Google group is a primary place to ask questions and share information, projects, and solutions. [[https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/datameet|Group Discussion]] * The meetups are to share projects and meet others. * The chapters are places for local networks and relationships to form that are beyond just data questions. * We do hackathons to free data that people want. * We have trainings to teach data skills to journalists and others.[[workshops:data-journalism-workshop-hoot-dm-cm|Data Journalism workshop with The Hoot and Oorvani Foundation]] * We have consultations with non profits and the government on data issues, strategy, and best practices.[[http://datameet.org/2016/01/11/investing-in-data-pre-budget-consultation-with-the-finance-minister/|Consultations]] * We have Open DataCamps to have deep dives and bring diverse people together about a topic. [[http://odc.datameet.org/start|Open DataCamp]] * We do projects to assist with data needs. * We aggregate information. [[catalog|DataMeet Data Catalog]]