The Michigan Institute for Data Science has awarded funding to two research projects that will utilize social media in the collection of their data. More detailed information on the projects and their implications can be found in the Michigan News' press release entitled, "Social media tapped for insights into economics, political communication, parenting."

Economics professor Matthew Shapiro leads one project that will create an “economic datapedia.”

"Data from social media provide significant opportunities for economists to track economic activity, test theories and evaluate policies. Our project combines computer science techniques for Big Data, involving large datasets available at short time intervals, with econometric techniques designed for less frequently collected data that's available over a longer period of time," Professor Shapiro explained to the Michigan News.

The second project is led by the Center for Political Science Studies at ISR’s Michael Traugott.

"We are interested in how information flows in a new media world—how citizens learn about and communicate with each other about political candidates and public policies, and how new parents acquire information relating to parenting skills. "We expect the team's work to be pattern-setting for social scientists everywhere who are interested in combining the relative strength of traditional surveys with big data about human activity," Traugott explained to the Michigan News.

Read more about The Michigan Institute for Data Science funded projects