We provide cutting-edge trainings on forecasting sponsored by the International Institute of Forecasters.
Democratising Forecasting
This is an ongoing initiative that provides cutting-edge training in the area of forecasting (using R). We provide both online courses and in-person workshops in some of the world’s least developed countries. The workshop is free of charge.
The project is initiated by Dr. Bahman Rostami-Tabar and sponsored by the International Institute of Forecasters.
Online courses
Africast
We have developed an online training to support learners from Sub-Saharan Africa. The training runs for 5 days and is designed and delivered by Mitchell O’Hara-Wild (he/him) and Bahman Rostami-Tabar (he/him).
You can visit the workshop website by clicking here.
This project is a collaborative effort with a team from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya, led by Henry Kissinger Ochieng. They oversee administrative processes such as advertising, application collection, shortlisting, and coordination.
In-person delivery in low/lower/middle income countries
What is the project about?
A series of workshops in developing economies to promote the importance of forecasting and ‘train the trainers’ in the form of university students, academics and professionals on the principles of forecasting using R software to support decision making. The workshops are designed for 3 days and are free of charge.
Countries are selected according to the World Bank Data with focus on countries with lower and lower-middle income.
Benefits to the participants and forecasting community
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Transfer of knowledge and skills on “forecasting” which can be served to make better decisions that may have positive direct impact on their society;
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Provide an up-to-date training in data analysis and forecasting using R;
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Create a research network among target countries with a focus on analytics for social good;
What participants learn in the workshop?
Assuming basic knowledge of statistics and through a step-by-step approach from theory to practice, participants will learn:
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he importance of forecasting and its relation to decision making in public organizations, private sector, governments, NGOs, Humanitarian Organizations, etc;
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How to prepare, manipulate and visualize data using R;
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The theory behind forecasting models;
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How to produce forecasts and evaluate their accuracy across a range of statistical forecasting models using real-world data;
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How to use R functions and their packages related to forecasting models;
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How to visualize, export and report results for interpretation and insights using RMarkdown.
This workshop is for you if you are:
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academic, student and want to expand your knowledge on forecasting using R software;
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practitioner and want to learn how to analyse, manipulate, visualize data and produce forecasts to inform decisions in your organization: public organizations, private sector, governments, NGOs, humanitarian , etc;
Prerequisites
- Basic knowledge in statistics;
- No knowledge of forecasting is assumed.
- No prior knowledge of R is assumed.
