S1E1: Scott David on Connecting Insights to Action and How Knowledge Graphs Can Help

Scott David is the founder of Shapeable.ai, which grew out of his work as the Head of Information Interaction at the World Economic Forum. He supports social innovators by creating powerful knowledge graphs. They help unpack complex issues into manageable parts and identify the relevant stakeholders to drive change.

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In this episode we:

  • Discuss all the things that can be described as a network and how that influences your perspective of the world
  • Talk about what Knowledge graphs are and what makes them so powerful
  • Learn how he’s using them to engage stakeholders around a particular global issue
  • Talk about how lack of information, disinformation, and inaction can arise from incomplete networks

KEY NETWORK SCIENCE CONCEPTS


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SHOW NOTES

  • Scott discusses his initial explorations in network visualisation [1:45]
  • What exactly is a knowledge graph? [3:40]
  • Scott talks about his role at the World Economic Forum and how he turned their reports into digital, interactive visualisations [5:23]
  • The ways in which transformation maps could support governments to solve complex problems [7:28]
  • How transformation maps can be simplified for easy navigation, based on Scott’s experience mapping the impact of the Ebola crisis on the mining industry [9:35]
  • The potential of transformation maps to create unique compatible connections among global leaders [15:05]
  • The key reasons that drove Scott to develop his innovation technology team into Shapeable.ai [17:10]
  • How Shapeable works to brings stakeholders together on issues that matter in order to drive change and scale impact for communities  [21:41]
  • How Scott’s learning are tools being utilised to help navigate and solve massive ageing issues in Japan [25:00]
  • Bluebox: Erica talks about the origins of network graphs and the importance of untangling the vast strings of information that connect all things. [29:12]
  • The physical and digital elements of breaking down the complexity of a knowledge network for the sake of scaling positive impact [31:30]
  • How Wittgenstein’s characterisation of human concepts as a large, interconnected graph inspired and informed Scott’s perspective and his studies of transformation maps [34:50]
  • How the creation of a network of factual knowledge out of limited human perspectives interacting with one another could lead to changes in our decision-making [37:19]
  • The ways that Scott is using the concept of ‘everything as a network’ for future advancement as well as personal creative projects [43:23]

SELECTED LINKS FROM EPISODE

Connect to Scott David: LinkedIn | Shapeable.ai

PEOPLE MENTIONED