Day 2

Tours, Workshops & F*CKUPS

DiD23 Program

Program is Live

The 2 day program for the Data Informed Design conference is now live.

Join us for 2 days of catalytic conversation, behind-the-scenes tours, and practical workshops as we come together to share experience and evolve the practice of data informed design.

Thu 23 / Fri 24 March

Download Program

Tour: The Greenline project

City of Melbourne

Join team members from the City of Melbourne and Aspect Studios x TCLfor a guided walking tour of The Greenline Project.

The Greenline Project is a major initiative of the City of Melbourne’s Council Plan 2021-25. It is a transformational project that will present a new vision for the north bank of the Yarra River – Birrarung. It will see the development of five precincts covering 4 km between Birrarung Marr and the Bolte bridge.

Master planning for the Greenline Project will explore the use of digital technologies that connect people, improve evidence-based decision making and enhance the ability to manage and integrate spatial data to better understand and manage landscapes and the physical environment. Integrated spatial analytical models, including digital twins can help quantify and measure sustainable performance on urban public spaces.

These are key components of a peaceful and prosperous society and critical to people’s day-to-day interaction with the natural and built environment.

The walking tour will explore several focus areas for the project including the potential of digital technologies to Master Plan the Greenline Project, the Birrarung Trial Floating wetlands, and Data driven urban forest management. The tour will be guided by leading practitioners from the City of Melbourne, Aspect Studios and TCL.

Please note: Capacity for tours and workshops are limited (and will be in high demand!) so get tickets fast to be eligible for registration when it opens in early March. Ticket holders will be notified by email when registration opens. Stay tuned for more updates.

9:00 - 10:30am - Fri 24 March, Meeting Location TBC

Tour: Melbourne Arts Precinct

The Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (MAP Co)

The Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (MAP Co) was established in 2021 to operate Melbourne’s iconic gathering space, Fed Square, and harness the collective creativity of Melbourne's arts community in delivering Australia’s largest ever cultural infrastructure project.

The Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation (MAPT) is Australia’s largest cultural infrastructure investment and will deliver The Fox NGV Contemporary, redevelopment of Arts Centre Melbourne and 18,000 square metres of new public parklands connecting the precinct across Birrarung / the Yarra River.

This tour will walk participants through how we are bringing a single continuous art, civic, and cultural precinct to life, unpack the qualitative data that is reshaping public experiences behind the scenes at in Fed Square and how design research is informing the development of urban gardens that respond to human needs while encouraging biodiversity to flourish.

What to expect

Fed Square Precincts Operation Manager, Colin McEvoy will take participants on a rare, behind the scenes look at the systems that help manage the day to day running of Melbourne’s iconic gathering space.

Jon Hazelwood, Principal and Design Director for Public Realm at Hassell and Michael Parry, Director of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation Project will provide a firsthand account of how data is informing the planting design of the new 18,000 square metre urban garden.

Dr Bree Trevena, Senior Manager, Public Realm and Precinct with the Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation will also be on hand to guide the tour and conversation.

Please note: Capacity for tours and workshops are limited (and will be in high demand!) so get tickets fast to be eligible for registration when it opens in early March. Ticket holders will be notified by email when registration opens. Stay tuned for more updates.

10:00am - Fri 24 March, Fed Square

Workshop: Navigating complex systems with cybernetics

The School of Cybernetics, ANU

When it comes to designing and making decisions with data, it’s easy to think of data in isolation. In reality, however, data exists within systems: complex and changing networks of people, technologies and environments. How can we better understand these systems to steer them towards the outcomes that we want - outcomes that are safer, more sustainable and more responsible?

Cybernetics is the science of communication and control in complex systems. The School of Cybernetics at the Australian National University (ANU) - established by Distinguished Professor Genevieve Bell - seeks to nurture and train a new generation of critical thinkers and doers to better navigate our increasingly complex world.

What to expect

This workshop will introduce a tool developed by the School of Cybernetics that will help you to delve deeper into the system surrounding your data, ask better questions and gain new perspectives about the systems that you engage with on a daily basis. The outcomes of this session will enable you to apply cybernetic thinking to your work.

About the School of Cybernetics

As people design, develop and seek to regulate new technologies, we need new skills to manage them in safe, sustainable and responsible ways. Cybernetics offers a way of transcending boundaries, of thinking in systems and ensuring that humans, technology and the physical environment are in the frame. It is a way to imagine humans steering technical systems safely through the world.

ANU School of Cybernetics seeks to establish cybernetics as an important tool for navigating major societal transformations, through capability building, policy development and safe, sustainable and responsible approaches to new systems.

“The last few years has demonstrated, very clearly, that we need to tell better stories about the future, stories that are more equitable, fair and just, and that equally we need to work actively in the present to make those stories not just possible but true,” said Distinguished Professor Bell when officially launching the School in November 2022.

About the presenters

Hannah Simpson is an educational developer at the School of Cybernetics. By translating research from the School into educational experiences that are accessible and applicable, she aims to empower audiences to see the systems in which they operate more cybernetically, and start steering them towards safe, sustainable, and responsible futures.

Maia Gould is the the Cybernetic Engagements Lead in the School of Cybernetics. She trained and worked as a science writer and holds a Master of Bioethics focused on emerging science and technology.

Jackie Randles is the Partnerships Lead in the School of Cybernetics. She has a knack for joining the dots between and within organisations to uncover new insights and extend impact and reach.

Please note: Capacity for tours and workshops are limited (and will be in high demand!) so get tickets fast to be eligible for registration when it opens in early March. Ticket holders will be notified by email when registration opens. Stay tuned for more updates.

2:00 - 4:00pm - Fri 24 March, Grimshaw, Melbourne

Tour: RMIT Social Innovation precinct

RMIT University

Join the team and partners responsible for the RMIT Social Innovation Precinct - RMIT’s vision is to establish an internationally recognised social innovation precinct in the heart of Melbourne’s city north. Building on the history and character of this neighbourhood, the precinct will welcome people from across our diverse community to tackle the major societal challenges of our time.

The precinct will be the place where people and technology come together to improve community wellbeing. It will encourage lifelong learning that expands opportunities, workforce development, industry innovation and civic partnerships.

The walking tour of the RMIT Social Innovation Precinct will include:

RMIT Place Lab - a new initiative aimed at connecting communities with RMIT’s researchers and students, to identify local needs, and address vital urban challenges. 

Nithya Solomon, Director of City North Innovation Catalyst will introduce RMIT’s vision to establish an internationally recognised social innovation precinct in the heart of Melbourne’s City North. Hear how the PlaceLab team are working with local communities through their ‘shop-front style’ research studios, to consider how we connect with our cities, and the solutions needed to support a more liveable, adaptive, and inclusive future.

RMIT Activator - delivers impact by nurturing founder talent, creating impact ventures and building sustainable communities.  Its programs are targeted at students, staff and alumni to develop future founders and impact ventures. Activator also develops bespoke program development for partnership projects that generate revenue and impact for development of sustainable communities. 

The Activator team will provide insights on how to create impact ventures and showcase some of the projects and ventures they are currently nurturing.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S) - is a cross- disciplinary, national research centre, which aims to create the knowledge and strategies necessary for responsible, ethical, and inclusive automated decision-making.

ADM+S Associate Investigator and Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellow, Dr Joel Stern will provide insights into recent projects at the intersection of art and data, including the Data Relations Exhibition hosted at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.

The RMIT Blockchain Innovation Hub (BIH) - is the world’s first research centre on the social science of blockchain incorporating economics, sociology, public policy, and political economy to provide a new way to understand the global blockchain evolution. BIH will investigate how blockchain technology might be the solution to many of the world’s problems.

The RMIT Social Innovation Hub (SIH) - is a collaborative co-working space where organisations, technology, research, innovators, and ideas collide to co-create impactful solutions to wicked social challenges.

The Health Transformation Lab (HTL) - is a place where leaders from across care systems come to experiment with and solve their thorniest problems at the intersection of practice, policy and technology.

Interact with the Visualscape currently displayed at SIH which seeks to corral a mass of data relating to inclusive topics such as housing affordability, health and sustainability, presented in novel and accessible ways, spurring new ideas and conversations.

Attendees will also meet ‘Spot’, a Boston Dynamics robot who is helping the HealthTransformation Lab rethink health workflows and outcomes and is currently the subject of world- first ethnography research seeking to gain deep insights into human perceptions of robots in public.

Please note: Capacity for tours and workshops are limited (and will be in high demand!) so get tickets fast to be eligible for registration when it opens in early March. Ticket holders will be notified by email when registration opens. Stay tuned for more updates.

3:00 - 5:00pm - Fri 24 March, RMIT PlaceLab Melbourne

Workshop: Datacare for digital twins

Professor Marcus Foth, School of Design, QUT

Data analytics through smart city technology deployments such as digital twins has the potential to create more liveable, sustainable, and equitable cities. However, internationally, there are many examples of smart city developments that have attracted criticism, concerns, and community backlash over issues such as data ethics, privacy, mass surveillance, commodification, and social control. 

In response, this talk by Professor Marcus Foth presents DataCare – a model for cities to practically implement a participatory data analytics approach as a way to renew and maintain the social licence to operate smart cities. Grounded in a critical review of the literature, the talk argues that data collection and automation in smart cities must be more citizen and community-oriented. Informed by smart city developments in Toronto and Barcelona, Prof. Foth will introduce DataCare – a hybrid physical space and digital engagement program for cities to champion data leadership and empower consumers, communities and businesses to actively participate in city analytics. 

DataCare aims to increase data transparency and access, raise awareness of data ethics, offer data literacy training, engage people in participatory data analytics, and speculate about city data futures. The goal of this research is to expand city data analytics capabilities by extending their reach and delivering externally facing, accessible interfaces for community and business users. This is essential for more accessible city analytics. Pioneering good data practices is vital for the success of Australia’s data-driven knowledge economy. 

About the presenter/s

Marcus Foth is a Professor of Urban Informatics in the School of Design and a Chief Investigator in the QUT Digital Media Research Centre. For two decades, Marcus has led ubiquitous computing and interaction design research into interactive digital media, screen, mobile and smart city applications. Since founding the Urban Informatics Research Lab at QUT in 2006, urban informatics has been adopted worldwide by industry (McKinsey, Intel, CISCO) and universities (NYU, University College London, Warwick, Northeastern).

Recommended reading:
Foth, M., Anastasiu, I., Mann, M., & Mitchell, P. (2021). From Automation to Autonomy: Technological Sovereignty for Better Data Care in Smart Cities. In B. T. Wang & C. M. Wang (Eds.), Automating Cities: Design, Construction, Operation and Future Impact (pp. 319-343). Springer. ISBN 978-981-15-8669-9. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/203187/

Please note: Capacity for tours and workshops are limited (and will be in high demand!) so get tickets fast to be eligible for registration when it opens in early March. Ticket holders will be notified by email when registration opens. Stay tuned for more updates.

1:00 - 2:00pm - Fri 24 March, Victoria University

DiD Interactive with City Design team

City Design Studio / City of Melbourne

Come to the City of Melbourne’s City DNA space at Melbourne Town Hall Commons, to see how data informs the design of capital works, and design review of significant planning applications.

See how City Design Landscape Architects use data within council’s in-house GIS suite, CoMPASS, as a design development tool to enhance public realm design across the municipality. City Design Urban Designers will show how they use CoMPASS and a 3d printed model of the city, to visualise proposed buildings, understand cumulative impacts of built form, and make assessments enabling Design Excellence.

Established in 1985, City Design is a multidisciplinary design studio which ensures design quality and curation are at the forefront of the city’s ongoing growth and development. The studio provides design services for the city’s capital works program, focussed on its iconic public realm. A key focus of the studio is the city’s Design Excellence Program which prioritises leadership, advocacy and outreach.

City Design is globally recognised for its high-standard of urban design, landscape architecture, architecture and industrial design excellence, and is the recipient of over 180 awards.

What to expect

This 30-60 minute session will include a tour and presentation of council’s 3D printed model, with projected development and other GIS layers· We will show how models provided by planning applicants are used in our assessments· We will showcase visualisations prepared for a current capital works project·

The presentation will occur in council’s newly redeveloped Town Hall Commons, with Indigenous artworks by multiple artists including Maree Clarke.

About the presenter/s

Jocelyn Chiew is an Architect, Landscape Architect and Urban Designer. As the Director of City Design, at the City of Melbourne, Jocelyn ensures that a curatorial design lens is applied to all projects shaping the municipality.

She will be joined by members of the City Design in this exciting opportunity to peek behind the curtain and experience the inner workings of this exemplary design team.

Please note: Capacity for tours and workshops are limited (and will be in high demand!) so get tickets fast to be eligible for registration when it opens in early March. Ticket holders will be notified by email when registration opens. Stay tuned for more updates.

2:00 - 3:00pm - Fri 24 March, City Hall

DiD F*CKUPS!

F*ckup Nights Melbourne

F*ckup Nights is a fiercely community minded storytelling event that acknowledges the mistakes, failures, and f*ckup stories that impact our personal lives and professional careers, affecting us as the humans that we are.

It is a global movement born in Mexico in 2012 and established to help share public failure stories with hundreds of people attending each event around the world.

The DiD themed event will bring together high profile practitioners from data and design fields to share their f*ckup stories - we’ll learn about their biggest mistakes, what they learned, how they moved on - all whilst sharing invaluable advice along the way.You’ll hear stories and advice you won’t get elsewhere - and these stories will (hopefully) put you in good stead to not make the same f*ckups.

About the presenterGarry Williams is the Head of Engagement for Tractor Ventures and runs FuckUp Nights in Melbourne & Sydney.

He has extensive experience navigating Australia’s technology ecosystem, having worked on innovation projects for scale-ups & start-ups, global agencies, government, universities, cultural institutions and creative project houses.

Please note: Capacity for the DiD themed F*ckup Night is limited (and will be in high demand!) so get tickets fast to be eligible for registration when it opens in early March. Ticket holders will be notified by email when registration opens. Stay tuned for more updates..

6:00 - 7:30pm - Fri 24 March, Grimshaw, Melbourne

data informed design
conference Melbourne
23-24 March 2023
Buy Tickets
Speakers
Contact / Media