May 16 : General Topic

Big data is nothing without big science (cnet.com)

As with gold or oil, data has no intrinsic value, writes Webtrends CEO Alex Yoder. Big science, which bridges the gap between knowledge and insight, is where the real value is. As the likes of Google, Facebook, Adobe Systems, and IBM embrace big data with gusto, startups are also popping up with the promise to help companies discover what one of the most valuable assets in the world can accomplish for them. read more

Jan 27 : Travel

Big Data meets Online Travel (forbes.com)

Big Data and a high-speed analytics engine helped a travel agency deliver answers to would-be holiday makers fast, before they impatiently moved to another site. When a large German travel company asked the Cologne-based consultancy empulse for help with its online travel site, the group agreed. The consultants had, after all, worked with the postal service on electronic tracking and with electric utilities on using smart meters. So how hard could travel be? read more

Jan 23 : Retail

Applying Big Data to 2011 Holiday Shopping (smartdatacollective.com)

By most measures, 2011 holiday sales saw solid gains. Overall retail sales rose 4.1%, according to the National Retail Federation. And while 2011 holiday sales didn’t achieve the 5.2% gains made during the 2010 holiday season, they still outpaced the 2.6% growth over the past decade. read more

Jan 20 : General Topic

Big Data Analytics Trends for 2012 (allthingsd.com)

Over the last several years, there has been a massive surge of interest in Big Data Analytics and the groundbreaking opportunities it provides for enterprise information management and decision making. Big Data Analytics is no longer a specialized solution for cutting-edge technology companies — it is evolving into a viable, cost-effective way to store and analyze large volumes of data across many industries. But how will this translate to adoption of these new technologies?  read more

Jan 18 : General Topic

Data Analytics can backfire without experts (informationweek.com)

Software vendors will tell you their analytics tools provide complete "solutions," but skip skilled statisticians for the heavy lifting at your own peril. The cost for your organization to acquire business analytics tools will likely be much higher than the cost of acquiring statistical talent. And the cost of incorrect analyses, and the resulting misguided decisions/directions, could be an even more significant cost to your company. read more

Jan 13 : General Topic

Data Science vs Business Intelligence (information-management.com)

Data Science and BI differ in the foci of their investigations. Data Science is consumed with supporting the development of data products. BI, on the other hand, is all about measuring and managing business performance. BI has become obsessed with absolute answers using complete, precise, high-quality information, while data science often bludgeons solutions, settling for approximate responses from incomplete but massive data sets. read more