NPR’s radio series on Big Data by David Smith.
Public-radio network NPR has just broadcast a 2-part series about Big Data on its Morning Edition program. For anyone with 10 minutes to spare, it’s a great overview of the impact of Big Data and the data scientists who derive value from the data. Part 1 is about companies that make use of Big Data, and the implications for businesses and individuals. Part 2 is about the demand for data scientists to analyze big data. (Key quote: “Math and Statistics are the are the sexiest skills around”.) You can listen to both segments online at the links below.
NPR: Following Digital Breadcrumbs To ‘Big Data’ Gold ; The Search For Analysts To Make Sense Of ‘Big Data’
From Revolution Analytics, a great place to hang out for R and other news.
You would have to work for NPR to think: “Math and Statistics are the are the sexiest skills around” 😉
Seriously, the demand for making sense out of the coming flood of data (you haven’t seen anything yet) is only going to increase. All the “let’s stop while we take 6 months to analyze a particular data set” type solutions are going to be swept away. Analysis is going to be required, but on a cost-benefit basis. And one of the benefits isn’t going to be “works with your software.”