I was playing around with data and then I found the Science — Yes, my introduction to the world of Data Science has been a part of my research work.
If you’re like me, starting out with Data Science looking for resources that can give you a jump start or at least a better understanding of it or you have just heard/read the term being coined and want to know what it is, of course, you can find a gazillion materials about it, this is, however, how I started and got familiar with the basic concepts.
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What is ‘Data Science’?
Data Science provides meaningful information based on larger amounts of complex data or big data. Data-Driven Science combines different fields of work in statistics and computation to interpret data for decision-making purposes.
Understanding Data Science
How do we collect data? — Data is drawn from different sectors, channels, and various platforms including cell phones, social media, e-commerce sites, various healthcare surveys, internet searches, and many more. The surge in the amount of data available and collected over a period of time has opened the doors to a new field of study based on big data — the huge and massive data sets that contribute towards the creation of better operational tools in all sectors.
The continuous and never-ending access to data has been made possible due to advancements in technology and various collection techniques. Numerous data patterns and behavior can be monitored and it can make predictions based on the information gathered.
In technical terms, the above-stated process is defined as Machine Learning; in layman’s terms, it may be termed Data Astrology — predictions based on data.
Nevertheless, the ever-increasing data is unstructured in nature and is in constant need of parsing in order to make effective decisions. This process is really complex and very time-consuming for organizations — and hence, the emergence of Data Science.
A Brief History / Background of Data Science
The term ‘Data Science’ has been in existence for about three decades now and was originally used as a substitute for ‘Computer Science’ in the 1960s. Approximately 15–20 years later, the term was used to define the survey of data processing methods used in different applications. 2001 was the year when Data Science was introduced to the world as an independent discipline.
Disciplinary Areas of Data Science
It incorporates tools from multiple disciplines to gather a data set, process and derive insights from the data set and interpret it appropriately for decision-making purposes.
Some of the disciplinary or noteworthy areas that make up the Data Science field include Data Mining, Statistics, Machine Learning, Analytics Programming, and the list goes on. But, we would be doing a brief discussion mainly on the aforesaid topics as the concept of Data Science mainly revolves around these basic concepts, just to keep it simple.
Data Mining applies algorithms to complex data sets to reveal patterns that are then used to extract useful and relevant data from the set.
Statistics or Predictive Analysis uses this extracted data to gauge events that are likely to happen in the future based on what the data shows happened in the past.
Machine Learning can be best described as an Artificial Intelligence tool that processes massive quantities of data that a human is incapable of doing in a lifetime — it perfects the decision model presented under predictive analytics by matching the likelihood of an event happening to what actually happened at a predicted time in the past.
The process of Analytics involves the collection and processing of structured data from the Machine Learning stage using various algorithms. The data analyst interprets, converts, and summarizes the data into a cohesive language that the decision-making team can understand.
Data Scientist
Literally speaking, the job of a Data Scientist is multi-tasking: We collect, analyze and interpret massive amounts of structured and unstructured data, and in a maximum number of cases, to improve an organization’s operations. Data Science professionals develop statistical models that analyze data and detect patterns, trends, and various relationships in data sets.
This vital information can be used to predict consumer behavior or to identify business and operational risks. Hence, the job of a Data Scientist can be described as a story-teller that uses data insights in telling a story to the decision-makers in a way that is understandable. The role of a Data Scientist is becoming increasingly important as businesses rely more heavily on data analytics to drive decision-making and lean on automation and machine learning as core components of their IT strategies.
Present & Future of Data Science
Data Science has become the real thing now and there are potentially hundreds and thousands of people running around with that job title. And, we too have started seeing these Data Scientists making large contributions to their organizations. There are certainly challenges to overcome, but the value of data science from a business point of view is pretty clear at this point.
Now, thinking about the future, certain questions definitely arise — “How will the practice of data science be changing over the next five years? What will be the new research areas of data science?”
“Will the fundamental skills remain the same?”
These are certainly debatable questions, but one thing is for sure — inventions have happened and will continue to happen when there arises any demand for the betterment of the future. And, the world would keep benefiting from data science through its upcoming innovations.
The possibilities of how to utilize Data Science in real-world scenarios are endless! Our Data Solutions team would be happy to help you capitalize on this technology for your enterprise.
