When Hurricane Sandy struck in 2012, power, internet and cell phone service were knocked out for many across the Jersey Shore. I first obtained by amateur radio license from the FCC after passing the technician exam the summer prior to Sandy hitting, earning the callsign KD2CXZ. It proved to be a worthwhile endeavor, as during and after the storm my home was without power and cell phones lost connectivity. For me, the only way to obtain and relay information or hear what was going on in the community was via the single handheld radio I owned at the time.

Indego operates a bike sharing network in Philadelphia. They also publish anonymized data detailing usage of the service. As a part of my coursework for the Data Science & Strategic Analytics masters program at Stockton University, last semester I was tasked with creating a visualization that told a data story regarding the bike sharing program using the Python library matplotlib. Here’s how I solved this project and produced the following animated visualization.

I was interviewed by the Asbury Park Press regarding my work creating the OPRAmachine freedom of information portal

Living in close proximity to the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Lacey Township has always left me interested in studying background radiation and some of the safety concerns associated with the aging plant, which has since shut down. A few years ago I purchased an electronic geiger counter to monitor radiation, but never did much with it. Eventually I discovered Geigerlog, an open-source program for interfacing with electronic geiger counters and taking readings.

Join me on Eyes on NJ News this Sunday, July 14th at 7:30 p.m. where I will be appearing on the show and interviewed by host John Edmunds.

Watch the full interview