Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda

Justin Evans: Data Heroes

Oct 28, 2025
Justin Evans, a seasoned data expert and author, passionately brings data to life, revealing its power to tell compelling human stories. He shares how data-driven heroes, like an epidemiologist in NYC, saved lives during COVID. Evans dives into the ethical dilemmas in data practices, referencing his run-ins with tech giants. From loneliness scores aiding seniors to historical examples like John Graunt mapping plague deaths, he illustrates data's critical role in society, emphasizing that it's about meaningful ideas, not just numbers.
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ANECDOTE

Satellite Mapping Exposes Global Emissions

  • Christy Lewis used satellite data to map every power and cement plant and estimate emissions worldwide.
  • She published the database to hold polluters accountable and enable climate action.
ANECDOTE

Scoring Loneliness To Help Seniors

  • Adam Green created a loneliness score to identify isolated seniors and ran scalable programs in New York City.
  • He shrunk a 70-question test to a practical solution and used passive audio cues to remove bias.
INSIGHT

Data Is An Abstraction Of Reality

  • Data is an abstraction: a recorded observation about a thing, not the thing itself.
  • Recording reduces complexity but grants powerful new ways to act on reality.
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