Intro to Data Science & Analytics in the Government

The hype around big data and analytics is strengthening as organizations and agencies strive to understand the benefits of properly integrating structured data analytics into business processes. Two integral pieces of the process are data science and analytics. The combination of both is an intricate art that yields high results for government agencies and organizations in areas such as fraud detection and tracking internal and external web behavior.

Dr. Kirk Borne, data scientist and GMU Professor, has spent years immersed in the world of data, and we are pleased to bring him into this discussion that will break down what you need to know to succeed in the fast-paced data analytics environment.



Date: Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Venue: 7930 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, Va. 22102

Agenda:



6:30pm -- Appetizers & Beverages

7:00pm -- Introduction

7:15pm – Presentation & discussion

8:15pm -- Adjourn for networking, discussion


Abstract:
Web Analytics and Predictive Behavior: The massive amounts of information that organizations now have access, to along with the available technologies, create a distinct opportunity for agencies and organizations to better analyze web behavior. This leads not only to a greater understanding of past and current activity, but also allows for predictive behavior through attribution and segmentation. In the government sector, this can mean anything from increased internal efficiency to the prevention of malicious attacks.

Data Science: The key behind all the hype is the data itself. Utilizing the right technologies and expertise to combine both internal and external data allows decision makers to derive valuable insights to direct future action. This virtuous mix gives agencies secure, competitive intelligence and the necessary advantage to be successful in a new digital world.



Speaker Bio:

Dr. Kirk Borne is a Data Scientist and Professor of Astrophysics and Computational Science in the George Mason University School of Physics, Astronomy, and Computational Sciences. He received his B.S. degree in physics from LSU and his Ph.D. in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology. He has been at Mason since 2003, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Data Science and advises many doctoral dissertation students in Data Science research projects. Previously, he spent nearly 20 years supporting NASA projects, including the Hubble Space Telescope and the Space Science Data Operations Office. He is currently chairman of the Informatics and Statistics Research Collaboration for the proposed petascale Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). He has extensive experience in big data and has advised several federal agencies on data mining and big data applications. He focuses on achieving big discoveries from big data and promotes the use of data-centric experiences with big data in the STEM education pipeline at all levels. He promotes data literacy for all!


Follow Kirk on Twitter at @KirkDBorne (https://twitter.com/KirkDBorne).