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Learning to Love Data Science

Learning to Love Data Science

by Mike Barlow
Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Release Date: November 2015
ISBN: 9781491936573
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Book Description

Until recently, many people thought big data was a passing fad. "Data science" was an enigmatic term. Today, big data is taken seriously, and data science is considered downright sexy. With this anthology of reports from award-winning journalist Mike Barlow, you’ll appreciate how data science is fundamentally altering our world, for better and for worse.

Barlow paints a picture of the emerging data space in broad strokes. From new techniques and tools to the use of data for social good, you’ll find out how far data science reaches.

With this anthology, you’ll learn how:

  • Analysts can now get results from their data queries in near real time
  • Indie manufacturers are blurring the lines between hardware and software
  • Companies try to balance their desire for rapid innovation with the need to tighten data security
  • Advanced analytics and low-cost sensors are transforming equipment maintenance from a cost center to a profit center
  • CIOs have gradually evolved from order takers to business innovators
  • New analytics tools let businesses go beyond data analysis and straight to decision-making

Mike Barlow is an award-winning journalist, author, and communications strategy consultant. Since launching his own firm, Cumulus Partners, he has represented major organizations in a number of industries.

Table of Contents

  1. Foreword
  2. Editor’s Note
  3. Preface
    1. Safari® Books Online
    2. How to Contact Us
    3. Acknowledgments
  4. 1. The Culture of Big Data Analytics
    1. It’s Not Just About Numbers
    2. Playing by the Rules
    3. No Bucks, No Buck Rogers
    4. Operationalizing Predictability
    5. Assembling the Team
    6. Fitting In
  5. 2. Data and Social Good
    1. Hearts of Gold
    2. Structuring Opportunities for Philanthropy
    3. Telling the Story with Analytics
    4. Data as a Pillar of Modern Democracy
    5. No Strings Attached, but Plenty of Data
    6. Collaboration Is Fundamental
    7. Conclusion
  6. 3. Will Big Data Make IT Infrastructure Sexy Again?
    1. Moore’s Law Meets Supply and Demand
    2. Change Is Difficult
    3. Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch…
    4. Throwing Out the Baby with the Bathwater?
    5. API-ifiying the Enterprise
    6. Beyond Infrastructure
    7. Can We Handle the Truth?
  7. 4. When Hardware Meets Software
    1. Welcome to the Age of Indie Hardware
    2. Mindset and Culture
    3. Tigers Pacing in a Cage
    4. Hardware Wars
    5. Does This Mean I Need to Buy a Lathe?
    6. Obstacles, Hurdles, and Brighter Street Lighting
  8. 5. Real-Time Big Data Analytics
    1. Oceans of Data, Grains of Time
    2. How Fast Is Fast?
    3. How Real Is Real Time?
    4. The RTBDA Stack
    5. The Five Phases of Real Time
    6. How Big Is Big?
    7. Part of a Larger Trend
  9. 6. Big Data and the Evolving Role of the CIO
    1. A Radical Shift in Focus and Perspective
    2. Getting from Here to There
    3. Behind and Beyond the Application
    4. Investing in Big Data Infrastructure
    5. Does the CIO Still Matter?
    6. From Capex to Opex
    7. A More Nimble Mindset
    8. Looking to the Future
    9. Now Is the Time to Prepare
  10. 7. Building Functional Teams for the IoT Economy
    1. A More Fluid Approach to Team Building
    2. Raising the Bar on Collaboration
    3. Worlds Within Worlds
    4. Supply Chain to Mars
    5. Rethinking Manufacturing from the Ground Up
    6. Viva la Revolución?
  11. 8. Predictive Maintenance: A World of Zero Unplanned Downtime
    1. Breaking News
    2. Looking at the Numbers
    3. Preventive Versus Predictive
    4. Follow the Money
    5. Not All Work Is Created Equal
    6. Building a Foundation
    7. It’s Not All About Heavy Machinery
    8. The Future of Maintenance
  12. 9. Can Data Security and Rapid Business Innovation Coexist?
    1. Finding a Balance
    2. Unscrambling the Eggs
    3. Avoiding the “NoSQL, No Security” Cop-Out
    4. Anonymize This!
    5. Replacing Guidance with Rules
    6. Not to Pass the Buck, but…
  13. 10. The Last Mile of Analytics: Making the Leap from Platforms to Tools
    1. Inching Closer to the Front Lines
    2. The Future Is So Yesterday
    3. Above and Beyond BI
    4. Moving into the Mainstream
    5. Transcending Data