The Human Rights Data Analysis Group leads the way in data analysis, scientific research, and innovation in scientific methods in the field of human rights.
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Today, we honor the lives lost in Sri Lanka.
This week marks the 17th anniversary of the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka.
So many questions remain. We still don’t know to the nearest ten thousand how many people perished. But we will continue to work with our partners to seek truth.
Not all victims are counted in the data.
Some are never recorded at all.
In our latest Structural Zero newsletter, Maria Gargiulo explains how statisticians work to account for these missing lives—and why it matters. https://hrdag.org/2026/05/03/all-is-not-lost-with-incomplete-datasets/
Structural Zero 10: What is a "structural zero" I’m Maria Gargiulo. I started with HRDAG as an intern in 2018 and I’ve worked with the team as a statistician since 2020. I’m currently earning my doctoral degree from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where my thesis explores the very statistical methods HRDAG uses to study ...
What does accountability look like when discovery includes 6,500 police body-worn camera videos?
HRDAG partnered with the ACLU of Northern California to process footage at scale, helping identify traffic stops for investigation and uncover racial profiling. https://hrdag.org/2026/05/01/siskiyou/
For years, Asian-American residents of Siskiyou County, in northern California, have alleged that they are being targeted by law enforcement officials through traffic stops and water access ordinances. The Asian Law Caucus and ACLU of Northern California have been fighting for the Asian-American community in Siskiyou since 2021, and in 2022, four ...
A monthly newsletter exploring how math and science help us understand the world. Hi, I’m Patrick Ball. I’m a statistician, which is a type of scientist that uses mathematical analysis to try to figure out what we do and don’t know about data sets. I’m also a human rights advocate; I work with groups all over the world to help survivors ...
“If we wait for data to be perfect, we’ll be waiting forever.”
Statistician Maria Gargiulo explains how researchers use multiple systems estimation to measure hidden victims of armed conflict and political violence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFYid9LmFQY
Bias in human rights data isn’t a flaw—it’s a reality.
The question is what we do about it.
In this issue, we pull back the curtain on Multiple Systems Estimation, an statistical technique that helps us estimate missing and incomplete data. https://hrdag.org/2026/05/03/all-is-not-lost-with-incomplete-datasets/
Structural Zero 10: What is a "structural zero" I’m Maria Gargiulo. I started with HRDAG as an intern in 2018 and I’ve worked with the team as a statistician since 2020. I’m currently earning my doctoral degree from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where my thesis explores the very statistical methods HRDAG uses to study ...
Behind every dataset are people who took risks to document the truth.
One way we honor that work is by using methods that acknowledge limitations and reduce bias. https://hrdag.org/2026/05/03/all-is-not-lost-with-incomplete-datasets/
Structural Zero 10: What is a "structural zero" I’m Maria Gargiulo. I started with HRDAG as an intern in 2018 and I’ve worked with the team as a statistician since 2020. I’m currently earning my doctoral degree from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where my thesis explores the very statistical methods HRDAG uses to study ...
Structural Zero 10: What is a "structural zero" I’m Maria Gargiulo. I started with HRDAG as an intern in 2018 and I’ve worked with the team as a statistician since 2020. I’m currently earning my doctoral degree from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where my thesis explores the very statistical methods HRDAG uses to study ...