Just as the Industrial Revolution transformed the manufacturing world, the analysis of data is having the same effect on information technology. While most data analytics tools are used by large corporations to predict consumer behavior, data analytics is also invaluable in scientific discovery and research.

A 2018 National Academies’ report stated that data science is emerging as a field that is revolutionizing science and industries alike and thus universities need to provide pathways for students to prepare for data science roles in the workplace. Work across nearly all domains is becoming increasingly data driven, affecting both the jobs available and the skill sets required.

The diversity and usage of data sources like social media, sensor networks and patient driven records have rapidly transformed the depth and breadth of research in just the past few years. Trends indicated that more and more aspects of the economy, society, and daily life have become dependent on data, and institutions and businesses that don’t use Big Data will fall behind.

Industries that have commonly used data analytics include health and medical care, banking, energy, manufacturing, communication, and transportation. Big Data describes not only the volume of data, but also its variety, velocity, veracity and value. The ability to merge diverse and comprehensive datasets and to mine the data to uncover or derive useful information provide significant opportunities to advance the state of policies, strategies, practices and resource management of countless fields and disciplines. dSAIC intends to address this growing need and developing space to set its members up to drive data-driven change across organizations.