Technological advances and the associated changes in practical daily life have produced a rapidly expanding “parallel universe” of new content, new data, and new information sources all around us. Regardless of how one defines it, the phenomenon of Big Data is ever more present, ever more pervasive, and ever more important. There is enormous value potential in Big Data: innovative insights, improved understanding of problems, and countless opportunities to predict—and even to shape—the future. Data Science is the principal means to discover and tap that potential. Data Science provides ways to deal with and benefit from Big Data: to see patterns, to discover relationships, and to make sense of stunningly varied images and information. Not everyone has studied statistical analysis at a deep level. People with advanced degrees in applied mathematics are not a commodity.
Relatively few organizations have committed resources to large collections of data gathered primarily for the purpose of exploratory analysis. And yet, while applying the practices of Data Science to Big Data is a valuable differentiating strategy at present, it will be a standard core competency in the not so distant future. How does an organization operationalize quickly to take advantage of this trend? We’ve created this book for that exact purpose. EMC Education Services has been listening to the industry and organizations, observing the multi-faceted transformation of the technology landscape, and doing direct research in order to create curriculum and content to help individuals and organizations transform themselves. For the domain of Data Science and Big Data Analytics, our educational strategy balances three things: people especially in the context of data science teams, processes such
as the analytic lifecycle approach presented in this book, and tools and technologies in this case with the emphasis on proven analytic tools. So let us help you capitalize on this new “parallel universe” that surrounds us. We invite you to learn about Data Science and Big Data Analytics through this book and hope it significantly accelerates your efforts in the transformational process.
