The document introduces a new student group called Students for Urban Data Systems and Analytics (SUDS) at Carnegie Mellon University. SUDS will bring together students from different disciplines interested in how cities are collecting and analyzing large amounts of data to improve services. It will provide an open space for students to share ideas, host speakers on related topics, organize field trips to local tech companies, work with the city on open data projects, and help members pursue careers in data analytics. SUDS seeks founding members from all backgrounds to help shape its activities and impact.

1. Interested in leaving your mark at CMU and becoming a founding member of a
group dedicated to the fast-growing field of urban analytics? Then join SUDS!
The MIT Media Lab defines urban analytics as the “data-driven analyses of
economic activity, urban perception, human behavior, mobility patterns, and
resource consumption to inform the city design process.”
Students for Urban Data Systems and Analytics (SUDS) will be a new student group that will seek to
bring together the vast (and growing) array of disciplines that contribute to the conversation of how
cities are adapting new methods of “big data” collection and analysis to improve their service delivery,
from providing water and police protection to repairing infrastructure. Additionally, the democratization
of data and cities’ new “open data” policies are revolutionizing the way citizens interact with their cities.
The group actively seeks anyone and everyone interested in this area, from engineering, computer
science, public policy, urban planning, business, statistics, design, and beyond.
Open and Collaborative Place to Learn
First and foremost, SUDS will be an open student organization designed to provide a space for students
interested in how cities are collecting data to meet across disciplines and to share ideas. As such, it will
remain flexible to accommodate the interests of the students involved and everyone is encouraged to
propose events if they are of interest.
Speakers and Field Trips
The group will leverage its multidisciplinary student composition to attract both local and nationally
recognized experts in the field of computational data analytics, engineering, and municipal government
to discuss a broad range of subjects including “smart” infrastructure, new data collection methods, data
privacy issues and how technology is impacting public policy, and how data create insights that are
impacting people’s lives, just to name a few. It’ll also make use of Pittsburgh’s growing tech industry to
take field trips to see the application of how these subjects are put into practice.
Open Data Pittsburgh
Want to hack Pittsburgh’s datasets and create cool interactive maps and tools?
The group seeks to have a tangible and direct impact working with academic, industrial, and municipal
groups here in Pittsburgh to advocate and educate on behalf of the city’s Open Data policy. Additionally,
as these datasets are made public (anticipated late 2015), the group will set up on-campus “hack nights”
for students to come together and work on projects using this open data.
Career Assistance
Data analytics is a fast-growing field. As the amount of data gathered grows, so too does the need to
manage and analyze it. McKinsey says that the US alone faces a shortage of 140-190K people with deep
analytical skills. SUDS wants to help you get a job after CMU and will work with Career Services to host
career panels and other events specifically targeted at fields in data analytics.
Joining SUDS
For more info and to become a founding member, contact Justin Cole at justinco@andrew.cmu.edu