Taking commissions
Depending on work commitments, I am available for short-term commissions and consultancy work to assist with your data and digital history projects.
I have extensive experience of working with data in a wide range of formats including plain text, CSV, XML, SQL, other databases and spreadsheets. I can take on projects including:
For example, if you have a set of XML files and no idea what to do with them, depending on its complexity, I can extract the encoded information and convert it to a spreadsheet or other format.
I can also give advice on
See data projects for examples of large and small datasets I’ve created and shared.
If your project has created a large and/or complex, semi-structured or structured dataset and you’re looking for new ways to view and understand it, I can help.
I use R and a range of visualisation tools to create online reports and presentations. I can work with a well-defined brief to create, say, a gallery of visualisations to showcase your data, or a set of charts for a publication. Alternatively, I can work with you in a collaborative, exploratory process to find out new things about your data.
For examples of my work exploring and visualising historical data, see:
I’m always interested in adding to my skills, and things I’m currently learning more about include dashboards and interactive visualisations.
I have been building websites for many years. I can work with database-driven applications, including customised WordPress sites. But increasingly I prefer to create lightweight self-contained websites that can be copied to almost any web hosting space and require minimal maintenance.
I’ve built and customised many websites using the PHP-based wiki software PmWiki, which is ideal for various kinds of documentation sites and resources, such as the London Lives Voices website.
I can also create attractive and highly functional websites and blogs using static site generators (including the website you’re reading now). In 2020, I used this approach for a commissioned online e-book, London Lives: Poverty, Crime and the Making of a Modern City, 1690–1800.
I can also provide research assistance in areas around my research interests, especially:
I am highly experienced in research work including: