News 2022

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Mato Ohitika Analytics LLC Releases Summer Internship Paper by Tufts University Undergraduate:

DEMOCRATIZING SOUTH DAKOTA VOTING DATA FOR GERRYMANDERING ANALYSIS

September 20, 2022

Mato Ohitika Analytics LLC held a summer internship program for an incredibly talented young researcher and undergraduate student Mr. Benjamin Silver. In his research, Silver developed a number of code bases for democratizing data for the community's benefit, a fundamental part of Mato Ohitika Analytics LLC's Data Sovereignty Initiative to provide underrepresented communities data that works for them. In addition, Silver created an analysis for public dissemination of possible evidence of South Dakota's history of suppressing Native American voters through gerrymandering in the at large districts created by the South Dakota Legislature's 2020 redistricting plan (Sparrow Map) following the 2020 census.

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March 23, 2022


Mato Ohitika Releases the Audio of Dr. Robertson's Keynote at the 2022 American Indian Science & Engineering Society Region 5 Conference at South Dakota State University on Saturday March 19,2022.


Keynote Abstract


Dr. Robertson is honored to deliver the keynote speech at the 2022 South Dakota State University American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Regional Conference.


In exploring this year’s theme, We Are Tomorrow, Dr. Robertson will discuss his experiences in navigating higher education through a non-traditional approach that is a unique look at his reflections of teaching, research, and doctoral work in data sovereignty, data science, and the navigating the bridge between science and culture. This keynote will help students understand that incorporating the contexts of their scientific indigenous knowledge into their studies is not only possible, but the paradigm is shifting to allow for new and innovative methods to emerge from this body of work.


February 22, 2022


Mato Ohitika Releases the 2022 South Dakota State University Wokini Challenge Grant Lecture Series:

The Impact of Data Sovereignty on American Indian Self-Determination: Bridging Federal Indian Law, Data Sovereignty and the Challenges of Developing Community AI Principles

This three part lecture series occured on February 6-8, 2022 titled:


The Impact of Data Sovereignty on American Indian Self-Determination: Bridging Federal Indian Law, Data Sovereignty and the Challenges of Developing Community AI Principles, presented by Dr. Joseph Robertson.


Dr. Robertson is a SDSU alumnus, Wokini Scholar, enrolled member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, and founder/Chief Data Scientist of Mato Ohitika Analytics LLC. This online event is part of the Wokini Initiative’s FY 2021 Challenge Grant Project: Preserving the Past, Protecting the Future: A Collaborative Approach to Data Sovereignty, Dr. Nicole Lounsbery, PI.


This first lecture explores tribal sovereignty in the context of Federal Indian Law with a discussion of the concepts of land acknowledgement and land grant university status.


The second lecture focuses on Dr. Robertson’s Data Sovereignty Initiative and the current landscape in understanding the key role data sovereignty has in developing shared governance strategies, data driven decision-making, and exploring the ethics of bridging science and culture through the use of applied data science techniques.



The third evening features an introduction to the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the ethical implications of designing AI systems in Indigenous communities. Part one will discuss how to develop community AI principles, followed by a demonstration of natural language processing with the Dakota Language.