Adelaide University Internships - Putri Kamaluddin

Welcome Putri!
Putri Kamaluddin has joined our Data Analytics Team for her Adelaide University SET (Sciences, Engineering and Technology) Internship for Data Science for trimester 2, 2023 14 February 2023 - 28 April 2023.

She is completing a 270 hour internship onsite with SAcommunity at the Connecting Up Office, Infoxchange 22.5 hours a week for 12 weeks over 4 days around her university classes: (2.5 hours, 7.5 hrs, 5 hrs and 7.5 each week increasing in hours to complete her internship). 

Personal Biography
Putri is in her first year of studying a Master of Data Science from the University of Adelaide. She previously worked for 3 years as a Geospatial Analyst in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), deciding to further her studies because of her experience in Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA), and interest in Data Analytics and Machine Learning.

Currently interning at Infoxchange to gain work experience, Putri aims to further her Data Science interests and apply her GIS knowledge and experience to the SAcommunity Data Analytics Team projects. Her goal is to present service types and session statistics within one council, the City of Onkaparinga our largest dataset, and she has set herself a challenge to map community service organisations listed in the SAcommunity database. Offering a detailed visualisation to present location data (where things are) with descriptive information records (what things are) allowing people to find out what services are available and where they are across all councils and electorates. 

On her Masters Graduation in June 2024, Putri's future career plans involve pursuing work that combines both her GIS and Data Science knowledge, because she strongly believes that although data can exist by itself, in tandem with location, data becomes much more meaningful.

Welcome Putri, we are glad to have you.

Image: Data Analytics Team Lead Stathis Avramis and Putri Kamaluddin checking the Python code used to reconfigure Excel file data for the Data Analytics reports. 

Council Statistics Project
Putri has been working in the Data Analytics Team with assistance from Team Lead Stathis Avramis on the Council Statistics project. Utilising python to assist in preparing and consolidating the data exports to create reports utilising the SAcommunity dataset, Google Analytics, Power BI and Canva. These reports present community services operating within the council area and provide an indication of service demand to assist with council decision-making, awareness or research.

Putri's focus has been on providing data analytics reports on community services operating in the City of Onkaparinga, the largest dataset in SAcommunity for the Financial Years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. Putri's final data analytics reports can be found >>here.

An insightful Data Analytics report relies on the accuracy of the data the reports are created from, and Putri has sourced, re-checked and cleaned the data records for her council dataset, improving the SAcommunity database and service listings. Putri downloaded and checked her council dataset on the database, against Google Analytics statistics, the assigned indexing categories, councils, electorates,  group listings and recent updates while utilising Power BI.

Putri identified anomalous records and used her skills across the Information Management and Customer Service Teams. By searching for, contacting and calling organisations in her council dataset by phone and email, to confirm their details in order to update these individual community service outliers within the dataset. This improved the accuracy and reliability of her reports, while allowing her to practice her customer service skills and telephone techniques. Volunteer David Webb provided Telephone Techniques training, information, and practice to assist Putri with this process.

These communication skills will be needed when Putri next identifies and contacts key council stakeholders to introduce her SAcommunity data reports, and the data exports freely available to local councils and public libraries at some point in the future. These data exports and reports on community services aim to assist with local community e-campaigns, consultation, networking, and research. In addition, the data helps to conserve and maximise resources usually required in generating and maintaining the same data and contact details between and within individual councils and departments across the state. In particular, they can be used to 'tell a data story' about the listed community services in the area.



Image: South Australian Community Services mapped to Councils and State Electorates

Putri has also been working on exploring the SAcommunity dataset using Power BI to better visualise and gain insights from community services operating across South Australian Councils and South Australian State Electorates. This interactive map she has created includes a filter for councils, organisations and local council maps. Her summary report on her LGA Statistics Project can be found >>here which is an additional project Putri initiated and our service has welcomed whilst undertaking her internship.

Attending an Infoxchange Strategy Meeting with the Melbourne Teams at the Adelaide Connecting Up Office
Attendees: Ziqi Xu, Stathis Avramis, Olivia Nichols, IX Communications & Public Relations Manager, Bede Eagle, IX Strategic Communications & Engagement Manager, Yang Jiao and Putri Kamaluddin [not pictured - Xavier Goldie, Senior Data Analyst and Amodha Ratnayeke, Product Manager - Directory and Referral online from Melbourne, and David Webb and Flavia in-person] 22 February 2023.

Work Experience
As part of experiencing our not-for-profit organisation, Putri has the opportunity to participate in monthly SAcommunity Team meetings held the 1st Wednesday on the (1 March 2023, and 5 April 2023), as possible around her studies, in the Connecting Up Staff meetings scheduled monthly on the 2nd Tuesday (14 February 2023, 14 March 2023 and 18 April 2023) to understand the Adelaide-based service as well as quarterly Infoxchange Town Hall meetings to learn more about the Infoxchange organisation as a whole attended by all Infoxchange staff across Australia and New Zealand.

Putri attended an Infoxchange Strategy meeting with the Adelaide/Melbourne Teams on 22 February 2023 (above) looking at Data Analytics and will take part in other staff meetings and sessions as they arise, of relevance to her studies. She was also able to attend the 14 March 2023 Connecting Up Staff meeting remotely/online between her university classes to learn more about the organisation and keep updated about our progress. She has also regularly attended fortnightly agile SAcommunity Team meetings and monthly SAcommunity Team meetings during her internship.


Image: Yang Jiao and Putri Kamaluddin compete at the lunchtime table tennis team session

People and Culture
As part of her internship, Putri also had the opportunity to attend relevant fortnightly / monthly Infoxchange (IX) Lunch & Learn initiatives held on alternate Tuesdays and Thursdays as part of interning in a professional office environment. These meetings involve all staff from Infoxchange offices in Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane. We also encourage interns and volunteers to immerse themselves in the other weekly staff activities available including opportunities for joining in online Reiki and Yoga lunch-time sessions. We also support our team to stay informed of all-staff news through Yammar and the weekly updates from the CEO, David Spriggs to better understand the organisation as a whole and feel more connected to our mission and the people within our not-for-profit.



Lunch and Learn
Online IX Lunch and Learn sessions from the People and Culture Team focus on topics spanning from presentation skills, effective communication, and wellbeing from external presenters and updates on organisation projects 'information exchanges' across our Infoxchange teams.

Putri attended the Lunch & Learn Ask Izzy Connect Project overview on the 23 February 2023, presented online by the Community Impact Team. The aim of the program is to provide more support to vulnerable customers and connect them to appropriate services in the community using Ask Izzy. Ask Izzy from Infoxchange is a website that connects people who are in crisis with the services they need right now and nearby, providing an example of how community information data is used in real life situations.

Other topics have included 'Understanding the McKinsey 7 Step Problem Solving Process and How to Apply It' (7/3)' presented by Ann Wen and Melanie Cornell from McKinsey, to provide staff and students with insights and advice for their work-life. 

Putri also attended the IX Lunch & Learn International Women's Day Event - 'Embrace Equity' on the 8 March at 2.30pm with a panel of Infoxchange women, including our Board Chair Elana Rubin AM, sharing their experiences and insights into this year's theme #EmbraceEquity. Head of Delivery Operations Cass Read-Hamilton and Head of People and Culture Kate Hickman joined the panel, and Olivia Nicholls (Communications & PR Manager) facilitated the discussion.

Elana Rubin spoke about her established career and achievements before the panel discussion began, including the challenges women still face in the workplace, benefits to embracing women at work and the involvement of men in gender equality along with the launch of the new IX policy supporting gender equity. 

Meet, Greet, Discuss, Problem Solve! Flavia, Rex Porter, Waleed, Yang Jiao, Ziqi Xu and Putri Kamaluddin at the Connecting Up office

Training and Development
Putri has had the opportunity to understand more about data analytics in the not-for-profit sector, and was provided with access to the Connecting Up Digital Learning platform, a training and development online learning platform with a selection of relevant live webinars and recorded webinars, workshops and webcons from a range of subject-matter experts who also have experience in working with not-for-profits.

Relevant weekly webinars, workshops and webcons selected by Putri for her internship include:
Week 1: Data readiness - Sam Headberry, Senior Consultant at Infoxchange 
Week 2: Getting Started with Google Analytics -  Tim Brack, Digital Marketing Lead at Leafcutters
Week 3: Decisions with data - Sam Headberry, Senior Consultant at Infoxchange
                Best practice strategies to clean up and maintain your database - Rachel Crossman, Senior Solutions Consultant at Blackbaud
Week 4: Generating Insights from Google Analytics - Tim Brack, Digital Marketing Lead at Leafcutters
Week 5: Gain a clear understanding of your organisation's data and impact using Power BI - Marcus Harvey, IT Consulting and Services Team Lead, Infoxchange
Week 6: Data, reporting, business intelligence and outcomes to enhance services - Marcus Harvey, IT Consulting and Services Team Lead, Infoxchange
Week 7: Project Management for NGO's - Navigate uncertainty with clear objectives and key results (LIVE, 30th March 2023) - Pablo Gonzales, Director of PG Consulting
Week 8: Data driven decision making: Interpreting organisation data to drive and deliver high performance
Week 9: Preventing a Data Disaster - Adam Hack, EMT Technology Distribution
Week 10: The modern not for profit - becoming the "data driven enterprise" - Gordon Tan, Managing Director of R & G Technologies
Week 11: The Leading Edge of Cyber Security Webcon
- Combating the Mess of Cyber Standards Facing NFP - Andrew Robinson from 6clicks
- Real World Cyber Crime and how to best protect your organisation - Connon Daly from The I.T. Team
- Why cybercriminals want it and the 5 steps you should take to securing your precious NFP organization data and IT - Susie Jones from Cynch Security
- The legal and regulatory landscape for NFPs impacted by a cyber incident - Stefanie Luhrs from Clyde&Co
Week 12: What is AI? And how can it help your nonprofit organisation? - James Hornitzky, Leafcutter
Extra: Cyber Security 101 – essential training for your whole team to keep information secure - Marise Alphonso, Infoxchange



Image: Xavier Goldie, Infoxchange Senior Data Analyst 

Mentor Meeting
Putri met her self-chosen mentor Xavier Goldie, Infoxchange Senior Data Analyst on the 8th March 2023. Mentor meetings with a selected staff member from Infoxchange provide a one-off opportunity for mentees to gain professional development advice and guidance, to discuss their education and career possibilities as well as gather insights into pathways and connections.

Xavier Goldie provides Infoxchange Ask Izzy Data insights and Stories examining the changing demands from vulnerable people for support services across Australia, including housing, food, health and more. Several news data stories are published across Infoxchange social media channels such as the increase in the number of people who are searching for food shared recently.



Infoxchange's Data Stories from the Social Justice Sector (February 2023) - YouTube


Mentor Meeting Takeaways with Xavier Goldie, IX Senior Data Analyst:

1. Prior experience in GIS and spatial analysis can provide an excellent foundation for a career in the data analytics field, as it provides a strong understanding of relevant statistical techniques.

2. GIS is not just about mapping alone but requires a deeper understanding and familiarity with statistical techniques such as Geographic Weighted Regressions (GWR) and spatial analysis-regression analysis to produce meaningful outcomes.

3. Being a data analyst is not just about churning and analysing data, but also requires developing an understanding of how the data can fit with the organization's goals and culture, particularly for not-for-profit (NFP) organizations. As a data analyst, we need to ensure that the released data is correct and provides people with significant, relevant insights.

4. Implementing and adopting AI and ML technologies without first understanding what they are and whether an organization truly needs them is risky. It is important to get the basics right first and identify gaps that could be served by AI and ML, rather than seeing them as a solution or a quick fix.

5. Developing analytics skills can be obtained by gaining experience through a government organization or university research centre, where longer-term projects allow for more practice.

Volunteer Stathis Avramis Data Analytics Team Lead, Intern Putri Kamaluddin and Volunteer Yang Jiao in the Data Analytics Team

"On Wednesday, March 8th, 2023, I had the privilege of interviewing Xavier Goldie, Senior Data Analyst, for my Infoxchange Mentoring Program. I selected him as my mentor because of his vast expertise in Spatial Analysis and Data Analytics. As I am currently pursuing a Master of Data Science degree and have prior experience in Geographical Information System (GIS) /Spatial Analysis, I believed Xavier was the ideal choice to guide me, given our shared background and I was eager to learn from his insights and experiences in the data analytics field.

During the session, I had a chance to ask several questions about Xavier's previous background in GIS and how that knowledge prepared him for his current position. Xavier mentioned that he was working in biogeography, which was the starting point for his learning of GIS. He then moved into transport planning, urban analytics, and public health, specifically looking at urban analytics and urban development with a GIS focus. He also emphasized that GIS is not just about mapping alone, but how statistical techniques, especially Geographic Weighted Regressions (GWR) and spatial analysis-regression analysis, play an important part that is relevant to his current role. In terms of technical software, Xavier heavily utilizes R and Python because of their capabilities to handle large datasets and statistical conveniences.

Xavier also mentioned how he is interested in SAcommunity's work approach, working closely with local councils and government. Infoxchange wanted to adopt a similar model for gathering information and providing data to local councils and government. Xavier also emphasized that his current role is not just about churning and analysing the data but trying to understand how the data fits with the organization's goals and cultures, especially for not-for-profit (NFP) organizations. His role is to ensure that the released data is correct and can be used to provide insights to people.

I had the chance to ask Xavier for his opinion about the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in his organization which is an interest of mine. Xavier raised some of the risks of organizations adopting AI and ML without first understanding what they are and whether an organization really needs them. He emphasized the importance of getting the basics right first and then identifying gaps that could be served by AI and ML, rather than seeing them as a panacea or a fix. Especially for NFP organizations, it would be challenging to deploy AI and ML technologies at the moment due to a lack of funding resources.

Finally, I asked about where I should practice Data Analytics after I had completed my Masters. Xavier recommended trying to develop my data analytics skills by gaining experience through a government organization or university research center, where longer-term projects allow for more practice.

Thank you for providing your time and insights Xavier Goldie, I greatly appreciate this opportunity."
~ Putri Kamaluddin