Recommending a group project using Alteryx Designer

[cdcruz]

Hi all,

At the Q3 meeting networking session, we different projects that use Alteryx Designer to do spatial, GIS, and predictive analytics.  A side project that I have been working on in collaboration with Chris Williams, Portland Alteryx User Group (Oregon) is to address processes around Food Banks to address the food insecurity problem. Associated with those studies is disaster relief and evacuation routes around major cities. 

Background: I attended a couple meetings in the Project Managers group where volunteers presented on the global Food Loss and Waste Protocol. This is a higher level effort at a policy level. https://flwprotocol.org/.

A short while later I met Chris Williams online at an Alteryx webinar and learned that he works on the implementation of workflows for food banks which are local efforts.

I started expanding a previous project done as a local hackathon by Dr. Zeydy Ortiz and NCData4Good but ran into a time crunch.

I am proposing our group use Alteryx Designer to build on that effort and create a member project. The project will define the business problem, explore and gather data sets, spatial and GIS to define areas of operations, then get into predictive analytics.

So if this is something that the membership will be interested in doing we can make that a long running flagship project (i.e. no pressure and no deadlines). It can be done 100% virtual and asynchronously. Code sharing using github. Communications using the community forum or slack (if available). This can be done using Agile/Scrum and no need for a formal project management process (perhaps just a light weight project coordination role). Business Analysis process, Data Sciences processes will evolve to meet the needs.

The goals: Work on a group project using Alteryx Designer.

Benefits: Learning and maybe some working workflows that can help the NC community at large to address disaster and food insecurity efforts when needed.

 Please provide feedback and suggestions. Is this a good idea? Will you participate? If so, what would you like to get out of it?

Here is what I am looking to get out of it. Get more experience with using Alteryx Designer to develop workflows that I have done using other tools/languages.  Continue working on the Food Bank/ Food insecurity processes that I started over a year back.

Also to reiterate ... no rush to the finish line (actually there is no finish line). Just the journey and the steps we take as a group to learn and experience as we go. Maybe other User Groups in the vicinity will be interested in doing the same thing in their local areas and we can collaborate.

Thanks

Conrad

[RickPack · Accepted solution]

I like the idea, @cdcruz, especially given the lack of time pressure. I wonder if we might get Alteryx licenses for this effort to improve food security. This would avoid issues with using work computers.

[cdcruz]

Good point Rick.  I remember reading that for volunteer work there may be some licenses. As we progress, I will check with Flavia and Lori if that is the case and how to go about getting them.

Thanks for raising the issue.

Conrad

[RickPack]

@cdcruz I am losing my work Alteryx license Friday, September 17th because of a change of employer. I hope we can get licenses for this food security project. I hope to make time to research further and will follow your guidance.

-Rick

[cdcruz]

Thanks for reminding me.  I just confirmed that Chris Williams will be doing both sessions at our Q4 2021 meeting.

I reached out to a contact at a local university that is working in the food access space and I am waiting to hear back from her.

I think we will have 3-5 members interested in working on this project.  Since this is not working with a specific NGO or non-profit but working on a project that will benefit multiple non-profits, I will reach out to Flavia and Lori to see how we can have access to a license for anyone who is actively working on the project.

Stay tuned,

Conrad

[manian21]

Conrad

Good Morning!

Please share what you need from Technology/Data Engineering side contribution as volunteer on this group project.

Hopefully we can get Alteryx Designer License either thru alteryx.com/SparkED program requested from vendor for short term educational/experiment needs. we can reach out to kim yohannan at alteryx on license request questions -

sparked@alteryx.com or Education Manager - Americas | SparkED  kim.yohannan@alteryx.com

Ideally we can try to  Explore alternative designer cloud beta option. We see designer cloud beta available now. https://www.alteryx.com/designercloudbeta

Note:At BlueCross BlueShield of NC, we have few volunteers in employee networks, currently we are collaborating on a similar experimental idea with Food bank distribution programs and local Non-profit orgs addressing Food Security programs with analytics solutions case study. Hopefully we can learn some insights as well.

Let me know how I can help the group on this experimental initiative.

Regards

Manian CSB

[cdcruz]

Hi Manian,

Sorry for the delay in replying, I was immersed in a project and missed this message.

Yes the volunteers would need licenses based on the feedback from the four members who showed interest in participating in this project.

I think the beta cloud approach may work better. 

Sarah Roberts mentioned that there was an initiative within BCBSNC to address Food Insecurity.  The members who volunteered for our group project could join forces and help line our efforts up with what is already going on at BCBSNC instead of reinventing the wheel.

Did you attend the Q4 meeting of the local UG?  The direction set by Chris Williams in the Portland UG is what we were thinking of following.  There is a video posted in our community page.

Conrad