Reta Barfuss is researching the downsides of part-time work as part of her doctoral studies at UZH. In an interview with Katia Soland, she explains how unwanted part-time work arises in the building cleaning sector and what mechanisms enable these precarious working conditions. Many building cleaners work on minimum contracts… Read More »Low employment rates, long working days in the cleaning sector
In an interview with Katia Soland, Anna Sigrist, co-director of Opendata.ch, talks about the importance of open data and Opendata.ch’s involvement in the DIZH Public Data Lab (PDL). She explains why open data is often perceived as an abstract topic and why it is important to highlight the concrete social… Read More »Why open data needs more visibility
How can artificial intelligence be made understandable? Dr Lukas Drees from the EcoVision Lab at the Institute for Mathematical Modelling and Machine Learning (DM3L) is researching how green spaces influence well-being at the Public Data Lab. His vision: an interactive map that recommends optimal green spaces based on personal preferences.… Read More »Teaching machine learning through art
On October 23, 2025, the DIZH Public Data Lab (PDL) was launched at the Toni-Areal. Over 100 guests from the fields of science, administration, art, and civil society came together to discuss a key question: How do we measure the pulse of the canton of Zurich? Karin Mairitsch, president of… Read More »Launch of the Public Data Lab: A new space for open data and dialogue
Merlin Hebecker researches new forms of precarious work at the Public Data Lab. Since September 2025, Merlin Hebecker has been a doctoral student in labor geography at the University of Zurich and a member of the Public Data Lab. In his dissertation, he examines how new forms of precarious work,… Read More »On Precarious Work and Invisible People
Not all forms of gainful employment appear in official statistics. Especially where working conditions are precarious or wages are barely enough to live on, those affected often remain invisible to the public. In this interview, Karin Schwiter, professor of labor geography at the University of Zurich, talks about how she… Read More »Making the invisible visible
In an interview with Katia Soland, Marcel Bleuler talks about the role of art and design in the Public Data Lab (PDL). “Especially to technological research, art and design can play a complementary role. They open a door to the societal negotiation of innovation. […] In my view, such engagements,… Read More »Art, design and data
Louis Moser has been part of the Public Data Lab (PDL) since June 1, 2025 and is working on an innovative project as part of his doctoral thesis: the development of an index of multiple deprivation for the canton of Zurich. The aim of this index is to spatially map… Read More »Research on social disadvantage in the canton of zurich
There are numerous publicly accessible data sources in Switzerland. However, according to Ross Purves, Professor at the Institute of Geography at the University of Zurich, their potential has not yet been sufficiently exploited. This is precisely where the Public Data Lab (PDL) wants to start: The aim is to develop… Read More »Developing indicators together
The Public Data Lab uses data to better understand social, economic and ecological change processes and their effects. However, data alone is not enough, as it is only by combining it into meaningful indicators that a comprehensive assessment of the quality of life becomes possible, which serves as a basis… Read More »Measure quality of life automatically and improve it in the long term