Philip Krause to Judge Big Data Deflate-Gate Hackathon

Philip Krause will serve as the judge for a mock trial “hackathon” to be presented by the Kansas City Big Data Group. The mock trial, styled as Indianapolis Colts v. New England Patriots, will be held June 3, 2015, at the Downtown Kansas City headquarters building for DST Systems. In the trial each party will present statistical evidence drawn from large databases of publicly available data (such as fantasy football data), in an effort to prove or disprove the issue of whether deflated footballs used by the New England Patriots made a significant difference in the outcome of the 2015 AFC Championship Game. Krause has developed special rules of procedures and evidence for the trial. Trial teams, drawn from members of the Kansas City Big Data Group, will present opening and closing arguments, examine and cross examine fact witnesses and expert witnesses, and otherwise follow rules much like would apply in a civil trial setting. Additionally, members of the Big Data Group not serving on a trial team may submit “amicus briefs” to offer their own views on the issue, also to be considered by the Court. The winning team, as determined by Judge Krause at the close of the case, will receive a prize package valued at over $5,000.