The Information and Technology Innovation Foundation is sponsoring Data Innovation Day today, with events around the US. From the site:

The purpose of Data Innovation Day is to raise awareness about the benefits and opportunities that come from increased use of information by individuals and the public and private sector.

Today we live in an era in which massive amounts of information are collected, analyzed, integrated, and disseminated in novel ways to make the world a better place. The unprecedented volume of data being generated today is transforming virtually every industry, including, health care, transportation, energy and manufacturing. In every sector data analytics are allowing organizations to extract more value from increasingly larger data sets. And every day new advances in computing technology, including faster processors, cheaper storage, lower-cost sensors, better displays, and ubiquitous wireless networks, are unlocking additional opportunities to harness data and create a world that is alive with information. Data Innovation Day is a celebration of the benefits generated by the current revolution in data, and it will give participants around the world the opportunity to showcase the latest innovations in the use of data and the economic value of the information economy.

There's a live webcast of the Data Innovation Day event at UC Berkeley, available here, which includes a range of speakers talking about techniques and methodology for making sense of massive amounts of different kinds of data. The panel happening now is all about generating value through analysis of public opinion. Really interesting work from Michelle Zhou (IBM), Galen Panger (UC Berkeley School of Information), and Ken Goldberg (UC Berkeley CITRIS and Center for New Media).