What Comes After Big Data?

The MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS) is celebrating the end of its inaugural year with an eye toward the future. This past October, IDSS saw over 1200 participants enroll in their new six-week online course, Data Science: Data to Insights, created in collaboration with MIT Professional Education, to help data scientists develop the skills they need to handle the oncoming data deluge.

The amount of data being generated and collected on a daily basis today is mind boggling. This reality presents both an opportunity and a challenge. On one hand, big data has the potential to reshape businesses and unleash innovation. But as the number of connected devices continues to explode, it becomes increasingly complex and difficult to analyze these massive data sets. Data scientists will need to evolve in order to convert information to insights and deliver on the promise of big data.

“With its emphasis on using data to gain the insights needed to make key decisions — ultimately, to address real-world challenges — IDSS is well-positioned to lead this exciting education effort,” says Munther Dahleh, IDSS Director and the William A. Coolidge Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Data Science: Data to Insights is designed to provide data science professionals with the ability to understand and analyze large data sets. The course is open to any data science professional with a desire to learn how to apply data science techniques to more effectively address an organization’s needs.