- Blog Categories
- Software Development Projects and Ideas
- 12 Computer Science Project Ideas
- 28 Beginner Software Projects
- Top 10 Engineering Project Ideas
- Top 10 Easy Final Year Projects
- Top 10 Mini Projects for Engineers
- 25 Best Django Project Ideas
- Top 20 MERN Stack Project Ideas
- Top 12 Real Time Projects
- Top 6 Major CSE Projects
- 12 Robotics Projects for All Levels
- Java Programming Concepts
- Abstract Class in Java and Methods
- Constructor Overloading in Java
- StringBuffer vs StringBuilder
- Java Identifiers: Syntax & Examples
- Types of Variables in Java Explained
- Composition in Java: Examples
- Append in Java: Implementation
- Loose Coupling vs Tight Coupling
- Integrity Constraints in DBMS
- Different Types of Operators Explained
- Career and Interview Preparation in IT
- Top 14 IT Courses for Jobs
- Top 20 Highest Paying Languages
- 23 Top CS Interview Q&A
- Best IT Jobs without Coding
- Software Engineer Salary in India
- 44 Agile Methodology Interview Q&A
- 10 Software Engineering Challenges
- Top 15 Tech's Daily Life Impact
- 10 Best Backends for React
- Cloud Computing Reference Models
- Web Development and Security
- Find Installed NPM Version
- Install Specific NPM Package Version
- Make API Calls in Angular
- Install Bootstrap in Angular
- Use Axios in React: Guide
- StrictMode in React: Usage
- 75 Cyber Security Research Topics
- Top 7 Languages for Ethical Hacking
- Top 20 Docker Commands
- Advantages of OOP
- Data Science Projects and Applications
- 42 Python Project Ideas for Beginners
- 13 Data Science Project Ideas
- 13 Data Structure Project Ideas
- 12 Real-World Python Applications
- Python Banking Project
- Data Science Course Eligibility
- Association Rule Mining Overview
- Cluster Analysis in Data Mining
- Classification in Data Mining
- KDD Process in Data Mining
- Data Structures and Algorithms
- Binary Tree Types Explained
- Binary Search Algorithm
- Sorting in Data Structure
- Binary Tree in Data Structure
- Binary Tree vs Binary Search Tree
- Recursion in Data Structure
- Data Structure Search Methods: Explained
- Binary Tree Interview Q&A
- Linear vs Binary Search
- Priority Queue Overview
- Python Programming and Tools
- Top 30 Python Pattern Programs
- List vs Tuple
- Python Free Online Course
- Method Overriding in Python
- Top 21 Python Developer Skills
- Reverse a Number in Python
- Switch Case Functions in Python
- Info Retrieval System Overview
- Reverse a Number in Python
- Real-World Python Applications
- Data Science Careers and Comparisons
- Data Analyst Salary in India
- Data Scientist Salary in India
- Free Excel Certification Course
- Actuary Salary in India
- Data Analyst Interview Guide
- Pandas Interview Guide
- Tableau Filters Explained
- Data Mining Techniques Overview
- Data Analytics Lifecycle Phases
- Data Science Vs Analytics Comparison
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Projects
- Exciting IoT Project Ideas
- 16 Exciting AI Project Ideas
- 45+ Interesting ML Project Ideas
- Exciting Deep Learning Projects
- 12 Intriguing Linear Regression Projects
- 13 Neural Network Projects
- 5 Exciting Image Processing Projects
- Top 8 Thrilling AWS Projects
- 12 Engaging AI Projects in Python
- NLP Projects for Beginners
- Concepts and Algorithms in AIML
- Basic CNN Architecture Explained
- 6 Types of Regression Models
- Data Preprocessing Steps
- Bagging vs Boosting in ML
- Multinomial Naive Bayes Overview
- Gini Index for Decision Trees
- Bayesian Network Example
- Bayes Theorem Guide
- Top 10 Dimensionality Reduction Techniques
- Neural Network Step-by-Step Guide
- Technical Guides and Comparisons
- Make a Chatbot in Python
- Compute Square Roots in Python
- Permutation vs Combination
- Image Segmentation Techniques
- Generative AI vs Traditional AI
- AI vs Human Intelligence
- Random Forest vs Decision Tree
- Neural Network Overview
- Perceptron Learning Algorithm
- Selection Sort Algorithm
- Career and Practical Applications in AIML
- AI Salary in India Overview
- Biological Neural Network Basics
- Top 10 AI Challenges
- Production System in AI
- Top 8 Raspberry Pi Alternatives
- Top 8 Open Source Projects
- 14 Raspberry Pi Project Ideas
- 15 MATLAB Project Ideas
- Top 10 Python NLP Libraries
- Naive Bayes Explained
- Digital Marketing Projects and Strategies
- 10 Best Digital Marketing Projects
- 17 Fun Social Media Projects
- Top 6 SEO Project Ideas
- Digital Marketing Case Studies
- Coca-Cola Marketing Strategy
- Nestle Marketing Strategy Analysis
- Zomato Marketing Strategy
- Monetize Instagram Guide
- Become a Successful Instagram Influencer
- 8 Best Lead Generation Techniques
- Digital Marketing Careers and Salaries
- Digital Marketing Salary in India
- Top 10 Highest Paying Marketing Jobs
- Highest Paying Digital Marketing Jobs
- SEO Salary in India
- Brand Manager Salary in India
- Content Writer Salary Guide
- Digital Marketing Executive Roles
- Career in Digital Marketing Guide
- Future of Digital Marketing
- MBA in Digital Marketing Overview
- Digital Marketing Techniques and Channels
- 9 Types of Digital Marketing Channels
- Top 10 Benefits of Marketing Branding
- 100 Best YouTube Channel Ideas
- YouTube Earnings in India
- 7 Reasons to Study Digital Marketing
- Top 10 Digital Marketing Objectives
- 10 Best Digital Marketing Blogs
- Top 5 Industries Using Digital Marketing
- Growth of Digital Marketing in India
- Top Career Options in Marketing
- Interview Preparation and Skills
- 73 Google Analytics Interview Q&A
- 56 Social Media Marketing Q&A
- 78 Google AdWords Interview Q&A
- Top 133 SEO Interview Q&A
- 27+ Digital Marketing Q&A
- Digital Marketing Free Course
- Top 9 Skills for PPC Analysts
- Movies with Successful Social Media Campaigns
- Marketing Communication Steps
- Top 10 Reasons to Be an Affiliate Marketer
- Career Options and Paths
- Top 25 Highest Paying Jobs India
- Top 25 Highest Paying Jobs World
- Top 10 Highest Paid Commerce Job
- Career Options After 12th Arts
- Top 7 Commerce Courses Without Maths
- Top 7 Career Options After PCB
- Best Career Options for Commerce
- Career Options After 12th CS
- Top 10 Career Options After 10th
- 8 Best Career Options After BA
- Projects and Academic Pursuits
- 17 Exciting Final Year Projects
- Top 12 Commerce Project Topics
- Top 13 BCA Project Ideas
- Career Options After 12th Science
- Top 15 CS Jobs in India
- 12 Best Career Options After M.Com
- 9 Best Career Options After B.Sc
- 7 Best Career Options After BCA
- 22 Best Career Options After MCA
- 16 Top Career Options After CE
- Courses and Certifications
- 10 Best Job-Oriented Courses
- Best Online Computer Courses
- Top 15 Trending Online Courses
- Top 19 High Salary Certificate Courses
- 21 Best Programming Courses for Jobs
- What is SGPA? Convert to CGPA
- GPA to Percentage Calculator
- Highest Salary Engineering Stream
- 15 Top Career Options After Engineering
- 6 Top Career Options After BBA
- Job Market and Interview Preparation
- Why Should You Be Hired: 5 Answers
- Top 10 Future Career Options
- Top 15 Highest Paid IT Jobs India
- 5 Common Guesstimate Interview Q&A
- Average CEO Salary: Top Paid CEOs
- Career Options in Political Science
- Top 15 Highest Paying Non-IT Jobs
- Cover Letter Examples for Jobs
- Top 5 Highest Paying Freelance Jobs
- Top 10 Highest Paying Companies India
- Career Options and Paths After MBA
- 20 Best Careers After B.Com
- Career Options After MBA Marketing
- Top 14 Careers After MBA In HR
- Top 10 Highest Paying HR Jobs India
- How to Become an Investment Banker
- Career Options After MBA - High Paying
- Scope of MBA in Operations Management
- Best MBA for Working Professionals India
- MBA After BA - Is It Right For You?
- Best Online MBA Courses India
- MBA Project Ideas and Topics
- 11 Exciting MBA HR Project Ideas
- Top 15 MBA Project Ideas
- 18 Exciting MBA Marketing Projects
- MBA Project Ideas: Consumer Behavior
- What is Brand Management?
- What is Holistic Marketing?
- What is Green Marketing?
- Intro to Organizational Behavior Model
- Tech Skills Every MBA Should Learn
- Most Demanding Short Term Courses MBA
- MBA Salary, Resume, and Skills
- MBA Salary in India
- HR Salary in India
- Investment Banker Salary India
- MBA Resume Samples
- Sample SOP for MBA
- Sample SOP for Internship
- 7 Ways MBA Helps Your Career
- Must-have Skills in Sales Career
- 8 Skills MBA Helps You Improve
- Top 20+ SAP FICO Interview Q&A
- MBA Specializations and Comparative Guides
- Why MBA After B.Tech? 5 Reasons
- How to Answer 'Why MBA After Engineering?'
- Why MBA in Finance
- MBA After BSc: 10 Reasons
- Which MBA Specialization to choose?
- Top 10 MBA Specializations
- MBA vs Masters: Which to Choose?
- Benefits of MBA After CA
- 5 Steps to Management Consultant
- 37 Must-Read HR Interview Q&A
- Fundamentals and Theories of Management
- What is Management? Objectives & Functions
- Nature and Scope of Management
- Decision Making in Management
- Management Process: Definition & Functions
- Importance of Management
- What are Motivation Theories?
- Tools of Financial Statement Analysis
- Negotiation Skills: Definition & Benefits
- Career Development in HRM
- Top 20 Must-Have HRM Policies
- Project and Supply Chain Management
- Top 20 Project Management Case Studies
- 10 Innovative Supply Chain Projects
- Latest Management Project Topics
- 10 Project Management Project Ideas
- 6 Types of Supply Chain Models
- Top 10 Advantages of SCM
- Top 10 Supply Chain Books
- What is Project Description?
- Top 10 Project Management Companies
- Best Project Management Courses Online
- Salaries and Career Paths in Management
- Project Manager Salary in India
- Average Product Manager Salary India
- Supply Chain Management Salary India
- Salary After BBA in India
- PGDM Salary in India
- Top 7 Career Options in Management
- CSPO Certification Cost
- Why Choose Product Management?
- Product Management in Pharma
- Product Design in Operations Management
- Industry-Specific Management and Case Studies
- Amazon Business Case Study
- Service Delivery Manager Job
- Product Management Examples
- Product Management in Automobiles
- Product Management in Banking
- Sample SOP for Business Management
- Video Game Design Components
- Top 5 Business Courses India
- Free Management Online Course
- SCM Interview Q&A
- Fundamentals and Types of Law
- Acceptance in Contract Law
- Offer in Contract Law
- 9 Types of Evidence
- Types of Law in India
- Introduction to Contract Law
- Negotiable Instrument Act
- Corporate Tax Basics
- Intellectual Property Law
- Workmen Compensation Explained
- Lawyer vs Advocate Difference
- Law Education and Courses
- LLM Subjects & Syllabus
- Corporate Law Subjects
- LLM Course Duration
- Top 10 Online LLM Courses
- Online LLM Degree
- Step-by-Step Guide to Studying Law
- Top 5 Law Books to Read
- Why Legal Studies?
- Pursuing a Career in Law
- How to Become Lawyer in India
- Career Options and Salaries in Law
- Career Options in Law India
- Corporate Lawyer Salary India
- How To Become a Corporate Lawyer
- Career in Law: Starting, Salary
- Career Opportunities: Corporate Law
- Business Lawyer: Role & Salary Info
- Average Lawyer Salary India
- Top Career Options for Lawyers
- Types of Lawyers in India
- Steps to Become SC Lawyer in India
- Tutorials
- C Tutorials
- Recursion in C: Fibonacci Series
- Checking String Palindromes in C
- Prime Number Program in C
- Implementing Square Root in C
- Matrix Multiplication in C
- Understanding Double Data Type
- Factorial of a Number in C
- Structure of a C Program
- Building a Calculator Program in C
- Compiling C Programs on Linux
- Java Tutorials
- Handling String Input in Java
- Determining Even and Odd Numbers
- Prime Number Checker
- Sorting a String
- User-Defined Exceptions
- Understanding the Thread Life Cycle
- Swapping Two Numbers
- Using Final Classes
- Area of a Triangle
- Skills
- Software Engineering
- JavaScript
- Data Structure
- React.js
- Core Java
- Node.js
- Blockchain
- SQL
- Full stack development
- Devops
- NFT
- BigData
- Cyber Security
- Cloud Computing
- Database Design with MySQL
- Cryptocurrency
- Python
- Digital Marketings
- Advertising
- Influencer Marketing
- Search Engine Optimization
- Performance Marketing
- Search Engine Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Display Advertising
- Marketing Analytics
- Web Analytics
- Affiliate Marketing
- MBA
- MBA in Finance
- MBA in HR
- MBA in Marketing
- MBA in Business Analytics
- MBA in Operations Management
- MBA in International Business
- MBA in Information Technology
- MBA in Healthcare Management
- MBA In General Management
- MBA in Agriculture
- MBA in Supply Chain Management
- MBA in Entrepreneurship
- MBA in Project Management
- Management Program
- Consumer Behaviour
- Supply Chain Management
- Financial Analytics
- Introduction to Fintech
- Introduction to HR Analytics
- Fundamentals of Communication
- Art of Effective Communication
- Introduction to Research Methodology
- Mastering Sales Technique
- Business Communication
- Fundamentals of Journalism
- Economics Masterclass
- Free Courses
- Home
- Blog
- Data Science
- 14 Best Data Analytics Real Life Applications in 2023
14 Best Data Analytics Real Life Applications in 2023
Updated on 19 March, 2024
35.26K+ views
• 7 min read
Share
In today’s business world, I’ve seen firsthand how valuable data analytics applications are. With the increasing internet access, a vast amount of data is available. Businesses actively use such data analytics to gain insights, improve customer service, understand trends, and identify market opportunities. As someone deeply involved in data analysis, I’ve witnessed how these applications help businesses stay competitive and make informed decisions. Moreover, it’s not just businesses; even civic bodies utilize data analytics applications for various purposes, such as monitoring crime rates.
Top Data Analytics Applications
Some of the different data analytics applications that are currently being used in several organizations across the globe are:
1. Security
Data analytics applications or, more specifically, predictive analysis has also helped in dropping crime rates in certain areas. In a few major cities like Los Angeles and Chicago, historical and geographical data has been used to isolate specific areas where crime rates could surge. On that basis, while arrests could not be made on a whim, police patrols could be increased. Thus, using applications of data analytics, crime rates dropped in these areas.
Also read: Excel online course free!
2. Transportation
Data analytics can be used to revolutionize transportation. It can be used especially in areas where you need to transport a large number of people to a specific area and require seamless transportation. This data analytical technique was applied in the London Olympics a few years ago.
For this event, around 18 million journeys had to be made. So, the train operators and TFL were able to use data from similar events, predict the number of people who would travel, and then ensure that the transportation was kept smooth.
FREE COURSES
Start Learning For Free
3. Risk detection
One of the first data analytics applications may have been in the discovery of fraud. Many organizations were struggling under debt, and they wanted a solution to this problem. They already had enough customer data in their hands, and so, they applied data analytics. They used ‘divide and conquer’ policy with the data, analyzing recent expenditure, profiles, and any other important information to understand any probability of a customer defaulting. Eventually, it led to lower risks and fraud.
4. Risk Management
Risk management is an essential aspect in the world of insurance. While a person is being insured, there is a lot of data analytics that goes on during the process. The risk involved while insuring the person is based on several data like actuarial data and claims data, and the analysis of them helps insurance companies to realize the risk.
Read: Data Analytics Interview Questions & Answers
Underwriters generally do this evaluation, but with the advent of data analysis, analytical software can be used to detect risky claims and push such claims before the authorities for further analysis.
5. Delivery
Several top logistic companies like DHL and FedEx are using data analysis to examine collected data and improve their overall efficiency. Using data analytics applications, the companies were able to find the best shipping routes, delivery time, as well as the most cost-efficient transport means. Using GPS and accumulating data from the GPS gives them a huge advantage in data analytics.
Our learners also read: Python online course free!
Explore our Popular Data Science Courses
6. Fast internet allocation
While it might seem that allocating fast internet in every area makes a city ‘Smart’, in reality, it is more important to engage in smart allocation. This smart allocation would mean understanding how bandwidth is being used in specific areas and for the right cause.
It is also important to shift the data allocation based on timing and priority. It is assumed that financial and commercial areas require the most bandwidth during weekdays, while residential areas require it during the weekends. But the situation is much more complex. Data analytics can solve it.
For example, using applications of data analysis, a community can draw the attention of high-tech industries and in such cases, higher bandwidth will be required in such areas.
7. Reasonable Expenditure
When one is building Smart cities, it becomes difficult to plan it out in the right way. Remodeling of the landmark or making any change would incur large amounts of expenditure, which might eventually turn out to be a waste. Data analytics can be used in such cases. With data analytics, it will become easier to direct the tax money in a cost-efficient way to build the right infrastructure and reduce expenditure.
8. Interaction with customers
In insurance, there should be a healthy relationship between the claims handlers and customers. Hence, to improve their services, many insurance companies often use customer surveys to collect data. Since insurance companies target a diverse group of people, each demographic has their own preference when it comes to communication.
Data analysis can help in zeroing in on specific preferences. For example, a study showed that modern customers prefer communication through social media or online channels, while the older demographic prefers telephonic communication.
Read our popular Data Science Articles
9. Planning of cities
One of the untapped disciplines where data analysis can really grow is city planning. While many city planners might be hesitant towards using data analysis in their favour, it only results in faulty cities riddled congestion. Using data analysis would help in bettering accessibility and minimizing overloading in the city.
Overall, it will generate more efficiency in the planning process. Just erecting a building in a suitable spot will not create an overall benefit for a city since it can harm the neighbors or the traffic in the area. Using data analytics and modelling, it will be easy to predict the outcome of placing a building in a specific situation and therefore, plan accordingly.
upGrad’s Exclusive Data Science Webinar for you –
Transformation & Opportunities in Analytics & Insights
10. Healthcare
While medicine has come a long way since ancient times and is ever-improving, it remains a costly affair. Many hospitals are struggling with the cost pressures that modern healthcare has come with, which includes the use of sophisticated machinery, medicines, etc.
But now, with the help of data analytics applications, healthcare facilities can track the treatment of patients and patient flow as well as how equipment are being used in hospitals. It has been estimated that there can be a 1% efficiency gain achieved if data analytics became an integral part of healthcare, which will translate to more than $63 billion in healthcare services. Read more about big data applications in heatlhcare industry.
Preparing for a data analyst role? Sharpen your interview skills with our comprehensive list of data analyst interview questions and answers to confidently tackle any challenge thrown your way.
11. For Travelling
If you ever thought travelling is a hassle, then data analytics is here to save you. Data analysis can use data that shows the desires and preferences of different customers from social media and helps in optimizing the buying experience of travellers. It will also help companies customize their own packages and offer and hence boost more personalized travel recommendations with the help data collected from social media.
Top Data Science Skills to Learn
12. Managing Energy
Many firms engaging with energy management are making use of applications of data analytics to help them in areas like smart-grid management, optimization of energy, energy distribution, and automation building for other utility-based companies. How does data analytics help here?
Well, it helps by focusing on controlling and monitoring of a dispatch crew, network devices, and management of service outages. Since utilities integrate about millions of data points within the network performance, engineers can use data analytics to help them monitor the entire network.
13. Internet searching
When you use Google, you are using one of their many data analytics applications employed by the company. Most search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, AOL, Duckduckgo, etc. use data analytics. These search engines use different algorithms to deliver the best result for a search query, and they do so within a few milliseconds. Google is said to process about 20 petabytes of data every day.
14. Digital advertisement
Data analytics has revolutionized digital advertising, as well. Digital billboards in cities as well as banners on websites, that is, most of the advertisement sources nowadays use data analytics using data algorithms. It is one of the reasons why digital advertisements are getting more CTRs than traditional advertising techniques. The target of digital advertising nowadays is focused on the analysis of the past behaviour of the user.
Wrapping Up
I’ve noticed that data analytics applications are making huge strides worldwide. Understanding and analyzing data can improve job efficiency. But, if data isn’t handled correctly, it can cause productivity issues. That’s why it’s crucial for us data scientists to learn how to use data efficiently and focus on the right applications of data analytics. When we use data effectively, it can have a big positive impact on society and different sectors, boosting overall productivity. Suppose you’re interested in getting hands-on experience through workshops and one-on-one sessions with industry experts and working on 7+ case studies and projects. In that case, you might consider enrolling in IIIT-B’s Executive PG Program in Data Science program. They offer various Data Science Programs tailored for working professionals like us.
Did you find this article helpful?
Rohit Sharma is the Program Director for the UpGrad-IIIT Bangalore, PG Diploma Data Analytics Program.
See MoreGet Free Consultation
By clicking "Submit" you Agree toupGrad's Terms & Conditions
FREE COURSES
Start Learning For Free
SUGGESTED BLOGS
5.64K+
Announcing PG Diploma in Data Analytics with IIIT Bangalore
Data is in abundance and for corporations, big or small, investment in data analytics is no more a discretionary spend, but a mandatory investment for competitive advantage. In fact, by 2019, 90% of large organizations will have a Chief Data Officer. Indian data analytics industry alone is expected to grow to $2.3 billion by 2017-18. UpGrad’s survey also shows that leaders across industries are looking at data as a key growth driver in the future and believe that the data analytics wave is here to stay.
Learn Data Science Courses online at upGrad
This growth wave has created a critical supply-demand imbalance of professionals with the adequate know-how of making data-driven decisions. The scarcity exists across Data Engineers, Data Analysts and becomes more acute when it comes to Data Scientists. As a result of this imbalance, India will face an acute shortage of at least 2 lac data skilled professionals over the next couple of years.
upGrad’s Exclusive Data Science Webinar for you –
Transformation & Opportunities in Analytics & Insights
document.createElement('video');
https://cdn.upgrad.com/blog/jai-kapoor.mp4
In pursuit of bridging this gap, UpGrad has partnered with IIIT Bangalore, to deliver a first-of-its-kind online PG Diploma program in Data Analytics, which over the years will train 10,000 professionals. Offering a perfect mix of academic rigor and industry relevance, the program is meant for all those working professionals who wish to accelerate their career in data analytics.
Read our popular Data Science Articles
Data Science Career Path: A Comprehensive Career Guide
Data Science Career Growth: The Future of Work is here
Why is Data Science Important? 8 Ways Data Science Brings Value to the Business
Relevance of Data Science for Managers
The Ultimate Data Science Cheat Sheet Every Data Scientists Should Have
Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Become a Data Scientist
A Day in the Life of Data Scientist: What do they do?
Myth Busted: Data Science doesn’t need Coding
Business Intelligence vs Data Science: What are the differences?
Top Data Science Skills to Learn
SL. No
Top Data Science Skills to Learn
1
Data Analysis Programs
Inferential Statistics Programs
2
Hypothesis Testing Programs
Logistic Regression Programs
3
Linear Regression Programs
Linear Algebra for Analysis Programs
The Advanced Certificate Programme in Data Science at UpGrad will include modules in Statistics, Data Visualization & Business Intelligence, Predictive Modeling, Machine Learning, and Big Data. Additionally, the program will feature a 3-month project where students will work on real industry problems in a domain of their choice. The first batch of the program is scheduled to start on May 2016.
Explore our Popular Data Science Certifications
Executive Post Graduate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science for Business Decision Making
Master of Science in Data Science from University of Arizona
Advanced Certificate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science and Business Analytics from University of Maryland
Data Science Certifications
Our learners also read: Learn Python Online Course Free
Read Moreby Rohit Sharma
08 Feb'165.09K+
How Organisations can Benefit from Bridging the Data Scientist Gap
Note: The article was originally written for LinkedIn Pulse by Sameer Dhanrajani, Business Leader at Cognizant Technology Solutions.
Data Scientist is one of the fastest-growing and highest paid jobs in technology industry. Dr. Tara Sinclair, Indeed.com’s chief economist, said the number of job postings for “data scientist” grew 57% year-over-year in Q1:2015. Yet, in spite of the incredibly high demand, it’s not entirely clear what education someone needs to land one of these coveted roles. Do you get a degree in data science? Attend a bootcamp? Take a few Udemy courses and jump in?
Learn data science to gain edge over your competitors
It depends on what practice you end up it. Data Sciences has become a widely implemented phenomenon and multiple companies are grappling to build a decent DS practice in-house. Usually online courses, MOOCs and free courseware usually provides the necessary direction for starters to get a clear understanding, quickly for execution.
But Data Science practice, which involves advanced analytics implementation, with a more deep-level exploratory approach to implementing Data Analytics, Machine Learning, NLP, Artificial Intelligence, Deep Learning, Prescriptive Analytics areas would require a more establishment-centric, dedicated and extensive curriculum approach. A data scientist differs from a business analyst ;data scientist requires dwelling deep into data and gathering insights, intelligence and recommendations that could very well provide the necessary impetus and direction that a company would have to take, on a foundational level. And the best place to train such deep-seeded skill would be a university-led degree course on Data Sciences.
It’s a well-known fact that there is a huge gap between the demand and supply of data scientist talent across the world. Though it has taken some time, but educationalists all across have recognized this fact and have created unique blends of analytics courses. Every month, we hear a new course starting at a globally recognized university.
Data growth is headed in one direction, so it’s clear that the skills gap is a long-term problem. But many businesses just can’t wait the three to five years it might take today’s undergrads to become business-savvy professionals. Hence this aptly briefs an alarming need of analytics education and why universities around the world are scrambling to get started on the route towards being analytics education leaders. Obviously, the first mover advantage would define the best courses in years to come i.e. institutes that take up the data science journey sooner would have a much mature footing in next few years and they would find it easier to attract and place students.
Strategic Benefits to implementing Data Science Degrees
Data science involves multiple disciplines
The reason why data scientists are so highly sought after, is because the job is really a mashup of different skill sets and competencies rarely found together. Data scientists have tended to come from two different disciplines, computer science and statistics, but the best data science involves both disciplines. One of the dangers is statisticians not picking up on some of the new ideas that are coming out of machine learning, or computer scientists just not knowing enough classical statistics to know the pitfalls. Even though not everything can be taught in a Degree course, universities should clearly understand the fact that training a data science graduate would involve including multiple, heterogeneous skills as curriculum and not one consistent courseware. They might involve computer science, mathematics, statistics, business understanding, insight interpretation, even soft skills on data story telling articulation.
Beware of programs that are only repackaging material from other courses
Because data science involves a mixture of skills — skills that many universities already teach individually — there’s a tendency toward just repackaging existing courses into a coveted “data science” degree. There are mixed feelings about such university programs. It seems to me that they’re more designed to capitalize on the fact that the demand is out there than they are in producing good data scientists. Often, they’re doing it by creating programs that emulate what they think people need to learn. And if you think about the early people who were doing this, they had a weird combination of math and programming and business problems. They all came from different areas. They grew themselves. The universities didn’t grow them. Much of a program’s value comes from who is creating and choosing its courses. There have been some decent course guides in the past from some universities, it’s all about who designs the program and whether they put deep and dense content and coverage into it, or whether they just think of data science as exactly the same as the old sort of data mining.
The Theories on Theory
A recurring theme throughout my conversations was the role of theory and its extension to practical approaches, case studies and live projects. A good recommendation to aspiring data scientists would be to find a university that offers a bachelor’s degree in data science. Learn it at the bachelor’s level and avoid getting mired in only deep theory at the PostGrad level. You’d think the master’s degree dealing with mostly theory would be better, but I don’t think so. By the time you get to the MS you’re working with the professors and they want to teach you a lot of theory. You’re going to learn things from a very academic point of view, which will help you, but only if you want to publish theoretical papers.
Hence, universities, especially those framing a PostGrad degree in Data Science should make sure not to fall into orchestrating a curriculum with a long drawn theory-centric approach. Also, like many of the MOOCs out there, a minimum of a capstone project would be a must to give the students a more pragmatic view of data and working on it. It’s important to learn theory of course. I know too many ‘data scientists’ even at places like Google who wouldn’t be able to tell you what Bayes’ Theorem or conditional independence is, and I think data science unfortunately suffers from a lack of rigor at many companies. But the target implementation of the students, which would mostly be in corporate houses, dealing with real consumer or organizational data, should be finessed using either simulated practical approach or with collaboration with Data Science companies to give an opportunity to students to deal with real life projects dealing with data analysis and drawing out actual business insights.
Our learners also read: Free Python Course with Certification
upGrad’s Exclusive Data Science Webinar for you –
ODE Thought Leadership Presentation
document.createElement('video');
https://cdn.upgrad.com/blog/ppt-by-ode-infinity.mp4
Explore our Popular Data Science Online Certifications
Executive Post Graduate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science for Business Decision Making
Master of Science in Data Science from University of Arizona
Advanced Certificate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science and Business Analytics from University of Maryland
Data Science Online Certifications
Don’t Forget About the Soft Skills
In an article titled The Hard and Soft Skills of a Data Scientist, Todd Nevins provides a list of soft skills becoming more common in data scientist job requirements, including:
Manage teams and projects across multiple departments on and offshore.
Consult with clients and assist in business development.
Take abstract business issues and derive an analytical solution.
Top Data Science Skills You Should Learn
SL. No
Top Data Science Skills to Learn
1
Data Analysis Online Certification
Inferential Statistics Online Certification
2
Hypothesis Testing Online Certification
Logistic Regression Online Certification
3
Linear Regression Certification
Linear Algebra for Analysis Online Certification
The article also emphasizes the importance of these skills, and criticizes university programs for often leaving these skills out altogether: “There’s no real training about how to talk to clients, how to organize teams, or how to lead an analytics group.”
Data science is still a rapidly evolving field and until the norms are more established, it’s unlikely every data scientist will be following the same path. A degree in data science will definitely act as the clay to make your career. But the part that really separates people who are successful from that are not is just a core curiosity and desire to answer questions that people have — to solve problems. Don’t do it because you think you can make a lot of money, chances are by the time you’re trained, you either don’t know the right stuff or there’s a hundred other people competing for the same position, so the only thing that’s going to stand out is whether you really like what you’re doing.
Read our popular Data Science Articles
Data Science Career Path: A Comprehensive Career Guide
Data Science Career Growth: The Future of Work is here
Why is Data Science Important? 8 Ways Data Science Brings Value to the Business
Relevance of Data Science for Managers
The Ultimate Data Science Cheat Sheet Every Data Scientists Should Have
Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Become a Data Scientist
A Day in the Life of Data Scientist: What do they do?
Myth Busted: Data Science doesn’t need Coding
Business Intelligence vs Data Science: What are the differences?
Read More03 May'16
5.13K+
Computer Center turns Data Center; Computer Science turns Data Science
(This article, written by Prof. S. Sadagopan, was originally published in Analytics India Magazine)
There is an old “theory” that talks of “power shift” from “carrier” to “content” and to “control” as industry matures. Here are some examples
In the early days of Railways, “action” was in “building railroads”; the “tycoons” who made billions were those “railroad builders”. Once enough railroads were built, there was more action in building “engines and coaches” – General Electric and Bombardier emerged; “power” shifted from “carrier” to “content”; still later, action shifted to “passenger trains” and “freight trains” – AmTrak and Delhi Metro, for example, that used the rail infrastructure and available engines and coaches / wagons to offer a viable passenger / goods transportation service; power shifted from “content” to “control”.
The story is no different in the case of automobiles; “carrier” road-building industry had the limelight for some years, then the car and truck manufacturers – “content” – GM, Daimler Chrysler, Tata, Ashok Leyland and Maruti emerged – and finally, the “control”, transport operators – KSRTC in Bangalore in the Bus segment to Uber and Ola in the Car segment.
In fact, even in the airline industry, airports become the “carrier”, airplanes are the “content” and airlines represent the “control”
Learn data science courses from the World’s top Universities. Earn Executive PG Programs, Advanced Certificate Programs, or Masters Programs to fast-track your career.
It is a continuum; all three continue to be active – carrier, content and control – it is just the emphasis in terms of market and brand value of leading companies in that segment, profitability, employment generation and societal importance that shifts.
We are witnessing a similar “power shift” in the computer industry. For nearly six decades the “action” has been on the “carrier”, namely, computers; processors, once proprietary from the likes of IBM and Control Data, then to microprocessors, then to full blown systems built around such processors – mainframes, mini computers, micro computers, personal computers and in recent times smartphones and Tablet computers. Intel and AMD in processors and IBM, DEC, HP and Sun dominated the scene in these decades. A quiet shift happened with the arrival of “independent” software companies – Microsoft and Adobe, for example and software services companies like TCS and Infosys. Along with such software products and software services companies came the Internet / e-Commerce companies – Yahoo, Google, Amazon and Flipkart; shifting the power from “carrier” to “content”.
Explore our Popular Data Science Courses
Executive Post Graduate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science for Business Decision Making
Master of Science in Data Science from University of Arizona
Advanced Certificate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science and Business Analytics from University of Maryland
Data Science Courses
This shift was once again captured by the use of “data center” starting with the arrival of Internet companies and the dot-com bubble in late nineties. In recent times, the term “cloud data center” is gaining currency after the arrival of “cloud computing”.
Though interest in computers started in early fifties, Computer Science took shape only in seventies; IITs in India created the first undergraduate program in Computer Science and a formal academic entity in seventies. In the next four decades Computer Science has become a dominant academic discipline attracting the best of the talent, more so in countries like India. With its success in software services (with $ 160 Billion annual revenue, about 5 million direct jobs created in the past 20 years and nearly 7% of India’s GDP), Computer Science has become an aspiration for hundreds of millions of Indians.
With the shift in “power” from “computers” to “data” – “carrier” to “content” – it is but natural, that emphasis shifts from “computer science” to “data science” – a term that is in wide circulation only in the past couple of years, more in corporate circles than in academic institutions. In many places including IIIT Bangalore, the erstwhile Database and Information Systems groups are getting re-christened as “Data Science” groups; of course, for many acdemics, “Data Science” is just a buzzword, that will go “out of fashion” soon. Only time will tell!
As far as we are concerned, the arrival of data science represents the natural progression of “analytics”, that will use the “data” to create value, the same way Metro is creating value out of railroad and train coaches or Uber is creating value out of investments in road and cars or Singapore Airlines creating value out of airport infrastructure and Boeing / Airbus planes.
More important, the shift from “carrier” to “content” to “control” also presents economic opportunities that are much larger in size. We do expect the same from Analytics as the emphasis shifts from Computer Science to Data Science to Analytics. Computers originally created to “compute” mathematical tables could be applied to a wide range of problems across every industry – mining and machinery, transportation, hospitality, manufacturing, retail, banking & financial services, education, healthcare and Government; in the same vein, Analytics that is currently used to summarize, visualize and predict would be used in many ways that we cannot even dream of today, the same way the designers of computer systems in 60’s and 70’s could not have predicted the varied applications of computers in the subsequent decades.
We are indeed in exciting times and you the budding Analytics professional could not have been more lucky.
Announcing PG Diploma in Data Analytics with IIT Bangalore – To Know more about the Program Visit – PG Diploma in Data Analytics.
Top Data Science Skills to Learn to upskill
SL. No
Top Data Science Skills to Learn
1
Data Analysis Online Courses
Inferential Statistics Online Courses
2
Hypothesis Testing Online Courses
Logistic Regression Online Courses
3
Linear Regression Courses
Linear Algebra for Analysis Online Courses
upGrad’s Exclusive Data Science Webinar for you –
ODE Thought Leadership Presentation
document.createElement('video');
https://cdn.upgrad.com/blog/ppt-by-ode-infinity.mp4
Read our popular Data Science Articles
Data Science Career Path: A Comprehensive Career Guide
Data Science Career Growth: The Future of Work is here
Why is Data Science Important? 8 Ways Data Science Brings Value to the Business
Relevance of Data Science for Managers
The Ultimate Data Science Cheat Sheet Every Data Scientists Should Have
Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Become a Data Scientist
A Day in the Life of Data Scientist: What do they do?
Myth Busted: Data Science doesn’t need Coding
Business Intelligence vs Data Science: What are the differences?
Our learners also read: Free Online Python Course for Beginners
About Prof. S. Sadagopan
Professor Sadagopan, currently the Director (President) of IIIT-Bangalore (a PhD granting University), has over 25 years of experience in Operations Research, Decision Theory, Multi-criteria optimization, Simulation, Enterprise computing etc.
His research work has appeared in several international journals including IEEE Transactions, European J of Operational Research, J of Optimization Theory & Applications, Naval Research Logistics, Simulation and Decision Support Systems. He is a referee for several journals and serves on the editorial boards of many journals.
Read More11 May'16
5.19K+
Enlarge the analytics & data science talent pool
Note: The articlewas originally written by Sameer Dhanrajani, Business Leader at Cognizant Technology Solutions.
A Better Talent acquisition Framework
Although many articles have been written lamenting the current talent shortage in analytics and data science, I still find that the majority of companies could improve their success by simply revamping their current talent acquisition processes.
Learn data science courses online from the World’s top Universities. Earn Executive PG Programs, Advanced Certificate Programs, or Masters Programs to fast-track your career.
We’re all well aware that strong quantitative professionals are few and far between, so it’s in a company’s best interest to be doing everything in their power to land qualified candidates as soon as they find them. It’s a candidate’s market, with strong candidates going on and off the market lightning fast, yet many organizational processes are still slow and outdated. These sluggish procedures are not equipped to handle many candidates who are fielding multiple offers from other companies who are just as hungry (if not more so) for quantitative talent.
Here are the key areas I would change to make hiring processes more competitive:
Fix your salary bands – It (almost) goes without saying that if your salary offerings are outdated or aren’t competitive to the field, it will be difficult for you to get the attention of qualified candidates; stay topical with relevant compensation grids.
Consider one-time bonuses – Want to make your offer compelling but can’t change the salary? Sign-on bonuses and relocation packages are also frequently used, especially near the end of the year, when a candidate is potentially walking away from an earned bonus; a sign-on bonus can help seal the deal.
Be open to other forms of compensation – There are plenty of non-monetary ways to entice Quants to your company, like having the latest tools, solving challenging problems, organization-wide buy-in for analytics and more. Other things to consider could be flexible work arrangements, remote options or other unique perks.
Pick up the pace – Talented analytics professionals are rare, and the chances that qualified candidates will be interviewing with multiple companies are very high. Don’t hesitate to make an offer if you find what you’re looking for at a swift pace – your competitors won’t.
Court the candidate – Just as you want a candidate who stands out from the pack, a candidate wants a company that makes an effort to stand apart also. I read somewhere, a client from Chicago sent an interviewing candidate and his family pizzas from a particularly tasty restaurant in the city. I can’t say for sure that the pizza was what persuaded him to take the company’s offer, but a little old-fashioned wooing never hurts.
Button up the process – Just as it helps to have an expedited process, it also works to your benefit is the process is as smooth and trouble-free as you can make it. This means hassle-free travel arrangements, on-time interviews, and quick feedback.
Network – make sure that you know the best of the talent available in the market at all levels and keep in touch with them thru porfessional social sites on subtle basis as this will come handy in picking the right candidate on selective basis
Redesigned Interview Process
In the old days one would screen resumes and then schedule lots of 1:1’s. Typically people would ask questions aimed at assessing a candidate’s proficiency with stats, technicality, and ability to solve problems. But there were three problems with this – the interviews weren’t coordinated well enough to get a holistic view of the candidate, we were never really sure if their answers would translate to effective performance on the job, and from the perspective of the candidate it was a pretty lengthy interrogation.
So, a new interview process need to be designed that is much more effective and transparent – we want to give the candidate a sense for what a day in the life of a member on the team is like, and get a read on what it would be like to work with a company. In total it takes about two days to make a decision, and there be no false positives (possibly some false negatives though), and the feedback from both the candidates and the team members has been positive. There are four steps to the process:
Resume/phone screens – look for people who have experience using data to drive decisions, and some knowledge of what your company is all about. On both counts you’ll get a much deeper read later in the process; you just want to make sure that moving forward is a good use of either of both of your time.
Basic data challenge – The goal here is to validate the candidate’s ability to work with data, as described in their resume. So send a few data sets to them and ask a basic question; the exercise should be easy for anyone who has experience.
In-house data challenge – This is should be the meat of the interview process. Try to be as transparent about it as possible – they’ll get to see what it’s like working with you and vice versa. So have the candidate sit with the team, give them access to your data, and a broad question. They then have the day to attack the problem however they’re inclined, with the support of the people around them. Do encourage questions, have lunch with them to ease the tension, and check-in periodically to make sure they aren’t stuck on something trivial.
At the end of the day, we gather a small team together and have them present their methodology and findings to you. Here, look for things like an eye for detail (did they investigate the data they’re relying upon for analysis), rigor (did they build a model and if so, are the results sound), action-oriented (what would we do with what you found), and communication skills.
Read between the resume lines
Intellectual curiosity is what you should discover from the project plans. It’s what gives the candidate the ability to find loopholes or outliers in data that helps crack the code to find the answers to issues like how a fraudster taps into your system or what consumer shopping behaviors should be considered when creating a new product marketing strategy.
Data scientists find the opportunities that you didn’t even know were in the realm of existence for your company. They also find the needle in the haystack that is causing a kink in your business – but on an entirely monumental scale. In many instances, these are very complex algorithms and very technical findings. However, a data scientist is only as good as the person he must relay his findings to. Others within the business need to be able to understand this information and apply these insights appropriately.
Explore our Popular Data Science Courses
Executive Post Graduate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science for Business Decision Making
Master of Science in Data Science from University of Arizona
Advanced Certificate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science and Business Analytics from University of Maryland
Data Science Courses
Good data scientists can make analogies and metaphors to explain the data but not every concept can be boiled down in layman’s terms. A space rocket is not an automobile and, in the brave new world, everyone must make this paradigm shift.
Top Data Science Skills You Should Learn
SL. No
Top Data Science Skills to Learn
1
Data Analysis Online Certification
Inferential Statistics Online Certification
2
Hypothesis Testing Online Certification
Logistic Regression Online Certification
3
Linear Regression Certification
Linear Algebra for Analysis Online Certification
upGrad’s Exclusive Data Science Webinar for you –
Watch our Webinar on The Future of Consumer Data in an Open Data Economy
document.createElement('video');
https://cdn.upgrad.com/blog/sashi-edupuganti.mp4
Read our popular Data Science Articles
Data Science Career Path: A Comprehensive Career Guide
Data Science Career Growth: The Future of Work is here
Why is Data Science Important? 8 Ways Data Science Brings Value to the Business
Relevance of Data Science for Managers
The Ultimate Data Science Cheat Sheet Every Data Scientists Should Have
Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Become a Data Scientist
A Day in the Life of Data Scientist: What do they do?
Myth Busted: Data Science doesn’t need Coding
Business Intelligence vs Data Science: What are the differences?
Our learners also read: Free Python Course with Certification
And lastly, the data scientist you’re looking for needs to have strong business acumen. Do they know your business? Do they know what problems you’re trying to solve? And do they find opportunities that you never would have guessed or spotted?
Read Moreby upGrad
14 May'165.69K+
UpGrad partners with Analytics Vidhya
We are happy to announce our partnership with Analytics Vidhya, a pioneer in the Data Science community. Analytics Vidhya is well known for its impressive knowledge base, be it the hackathons they organize or tools and frameworks that they help demystify. In their own words, “Analytics Vidhya is a passionate community for Analytics/Data Science professionals, and aims at bringing together influencers and learners to augment knowledge”.
Explore our Popular Data Science Degrees
Executive Post Graduate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science for Business Decision Making
Master of Science in Data Science from University of Arizona
Advanced Certificate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science and Business Analytics from University of Maryland
Data Science Degrees
We are joining hands to provide candidates of our PG Diploma in Data Analytics, an added exposure to UpGrad Industry Projects. While the program already covers multiple case studies and projects in the core curriculum, these projects with Analytics Vidhya will be optional for students to help them further hone their skills on data-driven problem-solving techniques. To further facilitate the learning, Analytics Vidhya will also be providing mentoring sessions to help our students with the approach to these projects.
Our learners also read: Free Online Python Course for Beginners
Top Essential Data Science Skills to Learn
SL. No
Top Data Science Skills to Learn
1
Data Analysis Certifications
Inferential Statistics Certifications
2
Hypothesis Testing Certifications
Logistic Regression Certifications
3
Linear Regression Certifications
Linear Algebra for Analysis Certifications
This collaboration brings great value to the program by allowing our students to add another dimension to their resume which goes beyond the capstone projects and case studies that are already a part of the program.
Read our popular Data Science Articles
Data Science Career Path: A Comprehensive Career Guide
Data Science Career Growth: The Future of Work is here
Why is Data Science Important? 8 Ways Data Science Brings Value to the Business
Relevance of Data Science for Managers
The Ultimate Data Science Cheat Sheet Every Data Scientists Should Have
Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Become a Data Scientist
A Day in the Life of Data Scientist: What do they do?
Myth Busted: Data Science doesn’t need Coding
Business Intelligence vs Data Science: What are the differences?
Through this, we hope our students would be equipped to showcase their ability to dissect any problem statement and interpret what the model results mean for business decision making. This also helps us to differentiate UpGrad-IIITB students in the eyes of the recruiters.
upGrad’s Exclusive Data Science Webinar for you –
Transformation & Opportunities in Analytics & Insights
document.createElement('video');
https://cdn.upgrad.com/blog/jai-kapoor.mp4
Check out our data science training to upskill yourself
Read More09 Oct'16
5.69K+
Data Analytics Student Speak: Story of Thulasiram
When Thulasiram enrolled in the UpGrad Data Analytics program, in its first cohort, he was not very different for us, from the rest of our students in this. While we still do not and should not treat learners differently, being in the business of education – we definitely see this particular student in a different light. His sheer resilience and passion for learning shaped his success story at UpGrad.
Humble beginnings
Born in the small town of Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, Thulasiram does not remember much of his childhood given that he enlisted in the Navy at a very young age of about 15 years. Right out of 10th standard, he trained for four years, acquiring a diploma in mechanical engineering.
Thulasiram came from humble means. His father was the manager of a small general store and his mother a housewife. It’s difficult to dream big when leading a sheltered life with not many avenues for exposure to unconventional and exciting opportunities. But you can’t take learning out of the learner.
“One thing I remember about school is our Math teacher,” reminisces Thulasiram, “He used to give us lot of puzzles to solve. I still remember one puzzle. If you take a chessboard and assume that all pawns are queens; you have to arrange them in such a way that none of the eight pawns should die. Every queen, should not affect another queen. It was a challenging task, but ultimately we did it, we solved it.”
Navy & MBA
At 35 years of age, Thulasiram has been in the navy for 19 years. Presently, he is an instructor at the Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology. “I am from the navy and a lot of people don’t know that there is an aviation wing too. So, it’s like a dream; when you are a small child, you never dream of touching an aircraft, let alone maintaining it. I am very proud of doing this,” says Thulasiram on taking the initiative to upskill himself and becoming a naval-aeronautics instructor.
When the system doesn’t push you, you have to take the initiative yourself. Thulasiram imbibed this attitude. He went on to enroll in an MBA program and believes that the program drastically helped improve his communication skills and plan his work better.
How Can You Transition to Data Analytics?
Data Analytics
Like most of us, Thulasiram began hearing about the hugely popular and rapidly growing domain of data analytics all around him. Already equipped with the DNA of an avid learner and keen to pick up yet another skill, Thulasiram began researching the subject.
He soon realised that this was going to be a task more rigorous and challenging than any he had faced so far. It seemed you had to be a computer God, equipped with analytical, mathematical, statistical and programming skills as prerequisites – a list that could deter even the most motivated individuals.
This is where Thulsiram’s determination set him apart from most others. Despite his friends, colleagues and others that he ran the idea by, expressing apprehension and deterring him from undertaking such a program purely with his interests in mind – time was taken, difficulty level, etc. – Thulasiram, true to the spirit, decided to pursue it anyway. Referring to the crucial moment when he made the decision, he says,
If it is easy, everybody will do it. So, there is no fun in doing something which everybody can do. I thought, let’s go for it. Let me push myself — challenge myself. Maybe, it will be a good challenge. Let’s go ahead and see whether I will be able to do it or not.
UpGrad
Having made up his mind, Thulasiram got straight down to work. After some online research, he decided that UpGrad’s Data Analytics program, offered in collaboration with IIIT-Bangalore that awarded a PG Diploma on successful completion, was the way to go.
The experience, he says, has been nothing short of phenomenal. It is thrilling to pick up complex concepts like machine learning, programming, or statistics within a matter of three to four months – a feat he deems nearly impossible had the source or provider been one other than UpGrad.
Our learners also read: Top Python Free Courses
Favorite Elements
Ask him what are the top two attractions for him in this program and, surprising us, he says deadlines! Deadlines and assignments. He feels that deadlines add the right amount of pressure he needs to push himself forward and manage time well.
As far as assignments are concerned, Thulasiram’s views resonate with our own – that real-life case studies and application-based learning goes a long way. Working on such cases and seeing results is far superior to only theoretical learning.
He adds, “flexibility is required because mostly only working professionals will be opting for this course. You can’t say that today you are free, because tomorrow some project may be landing in your hands. So, if there is no flexibility, it will be very difficult. With flexibility, we can plan things and maybe accordingly adjust work and family and studies,” giving the UpGrad mode of learning, yet another thumbs-up.
Amongst many other great things he had to say, Thulasiram was surprised at the number of live sessions conducted with industry professionals/mentors every week. Along with the rest of his class, he particularly liked the one conducted by Mr. Anand from Gramener.
Top Data Science Skills to Learn to upskill
SL. No
Top Data Science Skills to Learn
1
Data Analysis Online Courses
Inferential Statistics Online Courses
2
Hypothesis Testing Online Courses
Logistic Regression Online Courses
3
Linear Regression Courses
Linear Algebra for Analysis Online Courses
What Kind of Salaries do Data Scientists and Analysts Demand?
Get data science certification from the World’s top Universities. Learn Executive PG Programs, Advanced Certificate Programs, or Masters Programs to fast-track your career.
Read our popular Data Science Articles
Data Science Career Path: A Comprehensive Career Guide
Data Science Career Growth: The Future of Work is here
Why is Data Science Important? 8 Ways Data Science Brings Value to the Business
Relevance of Data Science for Managers
The Ultimate Data Science Cheat Sheet Every Data Scientists Should Have
Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Become a Data Scientist
A Day in the Life of Data Scientist: What do they do?
Myth Busted: Data Science doesn’t need Coding
Business Intelligence vs Data Science: What are the differences?
upGrad’s Exclusive Data Science Webinar for you –
ODE Thought Leadership Presentation
document.createElement('video');
https://cdn.upgrad.com/blog/ppt-by-ode-infinity.mp4
Explore our Popular Data Science Courses
Executive Post Graduate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science for Business Decision Making
Master of Science in Data Science from University of Arizona
Advanced Certificate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science and Business Analytics from University of Maryland
Data Science Courses
“Have learned most here, only want to learn..”
Interested only in learning, Thulasiram made this observation about the program – compared to his MBA or any other stage of life. He signs off calling it a game-changer and giving a strong recommendation to UpGrad’s Data Analytics program.
We are truly grateful to Thulasiram and our entire student community who give us the zeal to move forward every day, with testimonials like these, and make the learning experience more authentic, engaging, and truly rewarding for each one of them.
If you are curious to learn about data analytics, data science, check out IIIT-B & upGrad’s PG Diploma in Data Science which is created for working professionals and offers 10+ case studies & projects, practical hands-on workshops, mentorship with industry experts, 1-on-1 with industry mentors, 400+ hours of learning and job assistance with top firms.
Read More07 Dec'16
5.12K+
Decoding Easy vs. Not-So-Easy Data Analytics
Authored by Professor S. Sadagopan, Director – IIIT Bangalore. Prof. Sadagopan is one of the most experienced academicians on the expert panel of UpGrad & IIIT-B PG Diploma Program in Data Analytics.
As a budding analytics professional confounded by jargon, hype and overwhelming marketing messages that talk of millions of upcoming jobs that are paid in millions of Rupees, you ought to get clarity about the “real” value of a data analytics education. Here are some tidbits – that should hopefully help in reducing your confusion.
Some smart people can use “analytical thinking” to come up with “amazing numbers”; they are very useful but being “intuitive”, they cannot be “taught.”
For example:
Easy Analytics
Pre-configuring ATMs with Data Insights
“We have the fastest ATM on this planet”
Claimed a respected Bank. Did they get a new ATM made especially for them? No way. Some smart employee with an analytical mindset found that 90% of the time that users go to an ATM to withdraw cash, they use a fixed amount, say Rs 5,000. So, the Bank re-configured the standard screen options – Balance Inquiry, Withdrawal, Print Statement etc. – to include another option. Withdraw XYZ amount, based on individual customer’s past actions.
This ended up saving one step of ATM operation. Instead of selecting the withdrawal option and then entering the amount to be withdrawn, you could now save some time – making the process more convenient and intuitive. A smart move indeed, however, this is something known as “Easy Analytics” that others can also copy. In fact, others DID copy, within three months!
A Start-Up’s Guide to Data Analytics
Hidden Data in the Weather
In the sample data-sets that used to accompany a spreadsheet product in the 90’s, there used to be data on the area and population of every State in the United States. There was also an exercise to teach the formula part of the spreadsheet to compute the population density (population per sq. km). New Jersey, with a population of 467 per sq. km, is the State with the highest density.
While teaching a class of MBA students in New Jersey, I met an Indian student who figured out that in terms of population density, New Jersey is more crowded than India with 446 people per sq. km! An interesting observation, although comparing a State with a Country is a bit misleading. Once again, an Easy Analytics exercise leading to a “nice” observation!
Some simple data analytics exercises can be routinely done, and are made relatively easier, thanks to amazing tools:
B-School Buying Behavior Decoded
In a B-School in India that has a store on campus, (campus is located far from the city center) some smart students put several years of sales data of their campus store. They were excited by the phenomenal computer power and near, idiot-proof analytics software.
The real surprise, however, was that eight items accounted for 85% of their annual sales. More importantly, these eight items were consumed in just six days of the year! Everyone knew that a handful of items were the only fast-moving items, but they did not know the extent (85%) or the intensity (consumption in just six days) of this.
It turns out that in the first 3 days of the semester the students would stock the items for the full semester! The B-School found it sensible to request a nearby store to prop up a temporary stall for just two weeks at the beginning of the semesters and close down the Campus Store. This saved useful space and costs without causing major inconvenience to the students. A good example of Easy Analytics done with the help of a powerful tool.
Top 4 Data Analytics Skills You Need to Become an Expert!
The “Not So Easy” Analytics needs deep analytical understanding, tools, an ‘analytical mindset’ and some hard work. Here are two examples, one taken from way back in the 70’s and the other occurring very recently:
Not-So-Easy Analytics
To Fly or Not to Fly, That is the Question
Long ago, the American Airlines perfected planned overbooking of airline seats, thanks to SABRE Airline Reservation system that managed every airline seat.
Armed with detailed past data of ‘empty seats’ and ‘no show’ in every segment of every flight for every day through the year, and modeling airline seats as perishable commodities, the American Airlines was able to improve yield, i.e., utilization of airplane capacity. They did this through planned overbooking – selling more tickets than the number of seats, based on projected cancellations.
Explore our Popular Data Science Online Certifications
Executive Post Graduate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science for Business Decision Making
Master of Science in Data Science from University of Arizona
Advanced Certificate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science and Business Analytics from University of Maryland
Data Science Online Certifications
If indeed more passengers showed up than the actual number of seats, American Airlines would request anyone volunteering to forego travel in the specific flight, with the offer to fly them by the next flight (often free) and taking care of hotel accommodation if needed. Sometimes, they would even offer cash incentives to the volunteer to opt-out.
Using sophisticated Statistical and Operational Research modeling, American Airlines would ensure that the flights went full and the actual incidents of more passengers than the full capacity, was near zero. In fact, many students would look forward to such incidents so that they could get incentives, (in fact, I would have to include myself in this list) but rarely were they rewarded!)
upGrad’s Exclusive Data Science Webinar for you –
Transformation & Opportunities in Analytics & Insights
document.createElement('video');
https://cdn.upgrad.com/blog/jai-kapoor.mp4
What American Airlines started as an experiment has become the standard industry practice over the years. Until recently, a team of well-trained (often Ph.D. degree holders) analysts armed with access to enormous computing power, was needed for such an analytics exercise to be sustained.
Now, new generation software such as the R Programming language and powerful desktop computers with significant visualization/graphics power is changing the world of data analytics really fast. Anyone who is well-trained (not necessarily requiring a Ph.D. anymore) can become a first-rate analytics professional.
Top Data Science Skills You Should Learn
SL. No
Top Data Science Skills to Learn
1
Data Analysis Online Certification
Inferential Statistics Online Certification
2
Hypothesis Testing Online Certification
Logistic Regression Online Certification
3
Linear Regression Certification
Linear Algebra for Analysis Online Certification
Unleashing the Power of Data Analytics
Our learners also read: Free Python Course with Certification
Read our popular Data Science Articles
Data Science Career Path: A Comprehensive Career Guide
Data Science Career Growth: The Future of Work is here
Why is Data Science Important? 8 Ways Data Science Brings Value to the Business
Relevance of Data Science for Managers
The Ultimate Data Science Cheat Sheet Every Data Scientists Should Have
Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Become a Data Scientist
A Day in the Life of Data Scientist: What do they do?
Myth Busted: Data Science doesn’t need Coding
Business Intelligence vs Data Science: What are the differences?
Cab Out of the Bag
Uber is yet another example displaying how the power of data analytics can disrupt a well-established industry. Taxi-for-sure in Bangalore and Ola Cabs are similar to Uber. Together, these Taxi-App companies (using a Mobile App to hail a taxi, the status monitor the taxi, use and pay for the taxi) are trying to convince the world to move from car ownership to on-demand car usage.
A simple but deep analytics exercise in the year 2008 gave such confidence to Uber that it began talking of reducing car sales by 25% by the year 2025!
After building the Uber App for iPhone, the Uber founder enrolled few hundreds of taxi customers in San Francisco and few hundreds of taxi drivers in that area as well. All that the enrolled drivers had to do was to touch the Uber App whenever they were ready for a customer. Similarly, the enrolled taxi customers were requested to touch the Uber App whenever they were looking for a taxi.
Thanks to the internet-connected phone (connectivity), Mobile App (user interface), GPS (taxi and end-user location) and GIS (location details), Uber could try connecting the taxi drivers and the taxi users.
The real insight was that nearly 90% of the time, taxi drivers found a customer, less than 100 meters away! In the same way, nearly 90% of the time, taxi users were connected with their potential drivers in no time, not too far away.
Unfortunately, till the Uber App came into existence, riders and taxi drivers had no way of knowing this information. More importantly, they both had no way of reaching each other! Once they had this information and access, a new way of taxi-hailing could be established.
With back-end software to schedule taxis, payment gateway and a mobile payment mechanism, a far more superior taxi service could be established. Of course, near home, we had even better options like Taxi-for-sure trying to extend this experience even to auto rickshaws. The rest, as they say, is “history in the making!”
Deep dive courses in data analytics will help prepare you for such high impact applications. It is not easy, but do remember former US President Kennedy’s words
“we chose to go to the Moon not because it is easy, but because it is hard!”
Get data science certification from the World’s top Universities. Learn Executive PG Programs, Advanced Certificate Programs, or Masters Programs to fast-track your career.
Read More14 Dec'16
5.14K+
Launching UpGrad’s Data Analytics Roadshow – Are You Game?
We, at UpGrad, are excited to announce a brand new partnership with various thought leaders in the Data Analytics industry – IIIT Bangalore, Genpact, Analytics Vidhya and Gramener – to bring to you a one-of-a-kind Analytics Roadshow!
As part of this roadshow, we will be conducting several back-to-back events that focus on different aspects of analytics, creating interaction points across India, to do our bit for a future ready and analytical, young workforce.
Also Read: Analytics Vidhya article on the UpGrad Data Analytics Roadshow
Here is the line-up for the roadshow, to give you a better sense of what to expect:
9 webinars
– These webinars (remote) will be conducted by industry experts and are aimed at increasing analytics awareness, providing a way for aspirants to interact with industry practitioners and getting their tough questions answered.
11 workshops
– The workshops will be in-person events to take these interactions to the next level. These would be spread across 6 cities – Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune. So, if you are in any of these cities, we are looking forward to interact with you.
Featured Data Science program for you: Master of Science in Data Science from from IIIT-B
2 Conclaves
– These conclaves are larger events with a pre-defined agendas and time for networking. The first conclave is happening on the 17th of December in Bengaluru.
Explore our Popular Data Science Online Certifications
Executive Post Graduate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science for Business Decision Making
Master of Science in Data Science from University of Arizona
Advanced Certificate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science and Business Analytics from University of Maryland
Data Science Online Certifications
Hackathon
– Time to pull up your sleeves and showcase your nifty skills. We will be announcing the format of the event shortly.
“We find that the IT industry is absorbing almost half of all of the analytics jobs. Banking is the second largest, but trails at almost one fourth of IT’s recruiting volume.
It is interesting that data rich industries like Retail, Energy and Insurance are trailing near the bottom, lower than even construction or media, who handle less data. Perhaps these are ripe for disruption through analytics?”
Our learners also read: Learn Python Online for Free
Mr. S. Anand, CEO of Gramener, wonders aloud.
Read our popular Data Science Articles
Data Science Career Path: A Comprehensive Career Guide
Data Science Career Growth: The Future of Work is here
Why is Data Science Important? 8 Ways Data Science Brings Value to the Business
Relevance of Data Science for Managers
The Ultimate Data Science Cheat Sheet Every Data Scientists Should Have
Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Become a Data Scientist
A Day in the Life of Data Scientist: What do they do?
Myth Busted: Data Science doesn’t need Coding
Business Intelligence vs Data Science: What are the differences?
upGrad’s Exclusive Data Science Webinar for you –
Watch our Webinar on The Future of Consumer Data in an Open Data Economy
document.createElement('video');
https://cdn.upgrad.com/blog/sashi-edupuganti.mp4
Top Data Science Skills You Should Learn
SL. No
Top Data Science Skills to Learn
1
Data Analysis Online Certification
Inferential Statistics Online Certification
2
Hypothesis Testing Online Certification
Logistic Regression Online Certification
3
Linear Regression Certification
Linear Algebra for Analysis Online Certification
Get data science certification from the World’s top Universities. Learn Executive PG Programs, Advanced Certificate Programs, or Masters Programs to fast-track your career.
Read More15 Dec'16
5.22K+
What’s Cooking in Data Analytics? Team Data at UpGrad Speaks Up!
Team Data Analytics is creating the most immersive learning experience for working professionals at UpGrad.
Data Insider recently checked in to me to get my insights on the data analytics industry; including trends to watch out for and must-have skill sets for today’s developers. Here’s how it went:
How competitive is the data analytics industry today? What is the demand for these types of professionals?
Let’s talk some numbers, a widely-quoted McKinsey report states that the United States will face an acute shortage of around 1.5 million data professionals by 2018. In India, which is emerging as the global analytics hub, the shortage of such professionals could go up to as high as 200,000. In India alone, the number of analytics jobs saw a 120 percent rise from June 2015 to June 2016. So, we clearly have a challenge set out for us. Naturally, because of acute talent shortage, talented professionals are high in demand.
Decoding Easy vs. Not-So-Easy Analytics
What trends are you following in the data analytics industry today? Why are you interested in them?
There are three key trends that we should watch out for:
Personalization
I think the usage of data to create personalized systems is a key trend being adopted extremely fast, across the board. Most of the internet services are removing the anonymity of online users and moving towards differentiated treatment. For example, words recommendations when you are typing your messages or destinations recommendations when you are using Uber.
Our learners also read: Learn Python Online for Free
End of Moore’s Law
Another interesting trend to watch out for is how companies are getting more and more creative as we reach the end of Moore’s Law. Moore’s Law essentially states that every two years we will be able to fit double the number of transistors that could be fit on a chip, two years ago. Because of this law, we have unleashed the power of storing and processing huge amounts of data, responsible for the entire data revolution. But what will happen next?
IoT
Another trend to watch out for, for the sheer possibilities it brings. It’s the emergence of smart systems which is made possible by the coming together of cloud, big data, and IoT (internet of things).
Explore our Popular Data Science Courses
Executive Post Graduate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science for Business Decision Making
Master of Science in Data Science from University of Arizona
Advanced Certificate Programme in Data Science from IIITB
Professional Certificate Program in Data Science and Business Analytics from University of Maryland
Data Science Courses
What skill sets are critical for data engineers today? What do they need to know to stay competitive?
A good data scientist sits at a rare overlap of three areas:
Domain Knowledge
This helps understand and appreciate the nuances of a business problem. For e.g, an e-commerce company would want to recommend complementary products to its buyers.
Statistical Knowledge
Statistical and mathematical knowledge help to inform data-driven decision making. For instance, one can use market basket analysis to come up with complementary products for a particular buy.
Technical Knowledge
This helps perform complex analysis at scale; such as creating a recommendation system that shows that a buyer might prefer to also buy a pen while buying a notebook.
How Can You Transition to Data Analytics?
Outside of their technical expertise, what other skills should those in data analytics and business intelligence be sure to develop?
Ultimately, data scientists are problem solvers. And every problem has a specific context, content and story behind it. This is where it becomes extremely important to tie all these factors together – into a common narrative. Essentially all data professionals need to be great storytellers.
In this respect, one of the key skills for analysts to sharpen would be, breaking down the complexities of analytics for others working with them. They can appreciate the actual insights derived – and work toward a common business goal.
In addition, what is as crucial is getting into a habit of constantly learning. Even if it means waking up every morning and reading what’s relevant and current in your domain.
Top Essential Data Science Skills to Learn
SL. No
Top Data Science Skills to Learn
1
Data Analysis Certifications
Inferential Statistics Certifications
2
Hypothesis Testing Certifications
Logistic Regression Certifications
3
Linear Regression Certifications
Linear Algebra for Analysis Certifications
What should these professionals be doing to stay ahead of trends and innovations in the field?
Professionals these days need to continuously upskill themselves and be willing to unlearn and relearn. The world of work and the industrial landscape of technology-heavy fields such as data analytics is changing every year. The only way to stay ahead, or even at par with these trends, is to invest in learning, taking up exciting industry-relevant projects, participating in competitions like Kaggle, etc.
How important is mentorship in the data industry? Who can professionals look toward to help further their careers and their skills?
Extremely important. Considering how fast this domain has emerged, academia and universities, in general, have not had the chance to keep up equally fast. Hence, the only way to stay industry-relevant with respect to this domain is to have industry-specific learning.
This can only be done in two ways – through real-life case studies and mentors who are working/senior professionals and hail from the data analytics industry.
In fact, at UpGrad, there is a lot of stress on industry mentorship for aspiring data specialists. This is in addition to a whole host of case studies and industry-relevant projects.
Get data science certification from the World’s top Universities. Learn Executive PG Programs, Advanced Certificate Programs, or Masters Programs to fast-track your career.
Read our popular Data Science Articles
Data Science Career Path: A Comprehensive Career Guide
Data Science Career Growth: The Future of Work is here
Why is Data Science Important? 8 Ways Data Science Brings Value to the Business
Relevance of Data Science for Managers
The Ultimate Data Science Cheat Sheet Every Data Scientists Should Have
Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Become a Data Scientist
A Day in the Life of Data Scientist: What do they do?
Myth Busted: Data Science doesn’t need Coding
Business Intelligence vs Data Science: What are the differences?
Where are the best places for data professionals to find mentors?
upGrad’s Exclusive Data Science Webinar for you –
Transformation & Opportunities in Analytics & Insights
document.createElement('video');
https://cdn.upgrad.com/blog/jai-kapoor.mp4
While it’s important for budding or aspiring data professionals to tap into their networks to find the right mentors, it is admittedly tough to do so. There are two main reasons that can be blamed for this.
First, due to the nascent stage, the industry is at, it is extremely difficult to find someone with the requisite skill sets to be a mentor.
Even if you find someone with considerable experience in the field, not everybody has the time and inclination to be an effective mentor. Hence most people don’t know where to go to be mentored.
That’s where platforms like UpGrad come in, which provide you with a rich, industry-relevant learning experience. Nowhere else are you likely to chance upon such a wide range of industry tie-ups or associations for mentorship from very senior and reputed professionals.
How Can You Transition to Data Analytics?
What resources should those in the data analytics industry be using to ensure they’re educated and up-to-date on developments, trends, and skills?
There are many. For starters, here are some good and pretty interesting blogs and resources that would serve aspiring/current data analysts well to keep up with Podcasts like Data Skeptic, Freakonomics, Talking Machines, and much more.
This interview was originally published on Data Insider.
Read Moreby Rohit Sharma
23 Dec'16