Analytics experts share advice at Big Data Dance forum

Big data is a term that broadly describes large, complex data sets that may be analyzed computationally to reveal patterns in human behavior. Harvesting those patterns for commercial purposes is often too tall a task for traditional databases, but advances in technology in recent years is opening a new world of possibilities to today’s business professional.

On March 17, Missouri State University’s Management Development Institute brought together 23 analytics experts under the roof of The eFactory to share tips with the business community through a daylong series of presentations and workshops called the Big Data Dance forum.

Panelists were from such businesses as IBM, Cisco Systems, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Jack Henry & Associates Inc., BKD LLP and DeWitt & Associates Inc., among others, said MDI Assistant Director Jeff Schmedeke. In all, Schmedeke said 65 attendees were on hand to soak up the science of data trends.

The keynote speaker was Marine Col. Greg Breazile, who works for the Department of Defense as director of Command and Control and the Cyber and Electronic Warfare Integration division.

Breazile helped kick off the event with a morning session on how the DOD utilizes data.

Marine data sets, he said, can fall under a wide range of categories such as deployments, information technology, family services, weapons, training and logistics. By trying to take a more holistic approach to data analytics, military leaders can better understand what happened when an action necessitates a response, why it happened, and ultimately, support efforts to plan the desired outcomes. In short, big data can make military leaders more informed and more flexible.

“Life is a set of complex systems,” Breazile said. “With big data, we can simplify the complex.”

In a breakout session for small groups, Josie Bock of Essentially Data presented to a group of a dozen business professionals on how big data can allow for predictive modeling. Through such websites as Esri.com and ArcGIS.com, Realtors, bankers and small-business owners can take advantage of free tools that can inform important business decisions.

For example, Bock said a liquor retail retailer could go to Esri.com and create a map that inputs store locations against a backdrop of areas in the city where alcohol sales are highest based on Census figures or other sources. Such a map could inform where the business owner might decide to select its newest location.