Kieran Towey, Always ask questions and never assume what the data ‘should’ look like

By @SimonCocking

See Kieran Towey, Accenture, speaking at the Predict Conference September 15 – 17th

How did you first become interested in data / predictive analytics?

Fell into statistics and maths in college, but first eye opener was when I was the epidemiologist for the Dept of Agriculture during the various large animal disease crises, Mad Cow Disease, Foot & Mouth.

How do you think data will change business (the world or your sector)?

Data will record actions, interactions between people, objects and the environment. An unprecedented level of personalization will be possible, but data privacy needs to be considered.

What is your best data (data modelling/predictive analysis) tip?

Always ask questions and never assume what the data ‘should’ look like.

What was the most surprising thing you have found/uncovered from data analysis?

The extent of waste and abuse in any large system that involves payments to individuals or businesses.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out on their data journey?

Learn how to think first, frame a hypothesis and then learn programming\applications to interrogate the data.

What skills do you think a good data scientist analyst should have?

Communication, communication, communication.

What resources would you recommend (e.g. books, websites, blogs, data, technology, etc.)?

I find LinkedIn groups very useful

Which trends in this area will make the biggest change in people’s lives in the next 2 – 5 years?

Personalised medicine

You can see Kieran and many more speak at the Predict Conference in Ireland at the RDS, DUBLIN, IRELAND 15 – 17 SEPTEMBER 2015