Analytically Speaking

Why We All Need Data Science Skills

With David Kriesel

David Kriesel predicts that in 10 years we’ll all be about 20 percent data scientist. He says a lot more data science will take place, but most of it will be performed by normal employees who have learned the basics of data analytics through their work rather than through formal data science training. “We don’t want to build a data science silo in companies. We need to have it in the field, in every team a few people who have a clue about data science,” says Kriesel, a data scientist and technology engineer who is well known for his Spiegel Mining data analysis project. He encourages everyone to become more data-savvy, and he advises those who already have data science skills to sit next to the people who have domain knowledge.

In this video:
  • Why it’s so easy to come to false conclusions when you don’t have domain knowledge.
  • Distinctions between the workflow of a statistician and that of a computer scientist.
  • Using data science to solve the mystery of Xerox scanning errors.
  • The similarities between data analysis and nuclear energy.
  • Avoiding mass media bias: “The best way to inform yourself is downloading the original data.”
  • Helping elementary students learn simple programming and applied math.