The Data Bonanza: Improving Knowledge Discovery in Science, Engineering, and Business

Complete guidance for mastering the tools and techniques of the digital revolution

With the digital revolution opening up tremendous opportunities in many fields, there is a growing need for skilled professionals who can develop data-intensive systems and extract information and knowledge from them. This book frames for the first time a new systematic approach for tackling the challenges of data-intensive computing, providing decision makers and technical experts alike with practical tools for dealing with our exploding data collections.

Emphasizing data-intensive thinking and interdisciplinary collaboration, The Data Bonanza: Improving Knowledge Discovery in Science, Engineering, and Business examines the essential components of knowledge discovery, surveys many of the current research efforts worldwide, and points to new areas for innovation. Complete with a wealth of examples and DISPEL-based methods demonstrating how to gain more from data in real-world systems, the book:

• Outlines the concepts and rationale for implementing data-intensive computing in organizations
• Covers from the ground up problem-solving strategies for data analysis in a data-rich world
• Introduces techniques for data-intensive engineering using the Data-Intensive Systems Process Engineering Language DISPEL
• Features in-depth case studies in customer relations, environmental hazards, seismology, and more
• Showcases successful applications in areas ranging from astronomy and the humanities to transport engineering
• Includes sample program snippets throughout the text as well as additional materials on a companion website

The Data Bonanza is a must-have guide for information strategists, data analysts, and engineers in business, research, and government, and for anyone wishing to be on the cutting edge of data mining, machine learning, databases, distributed systems, or large-scale computing.

Malcolm Atkinson, PhD, is Professor of e-Science in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He is also Data-Intensive Research Group leader, Director of the e-Science Institute, IT architect for the ADMIRE and VERCE EU projects and UK e-Science Envoy. Professor Atkinson has been leading research projects for several decades and served on many advisory bodies.

Rob Baxter, PhD, is EPCC's Software Development Group Manager. He has over fifteen years' experience of distributed software project management on the bleeding edge of technology. He managed the European ADMIRE project, rated "excellent" in its final review and plays a prominent role in the EUDAT, iCORDI and PERICLES projects―all large-scale scientific data infrastructures.

Peter Brezany, PhD, is Professor of Computer Science in the University of Vienna Faculty of Computer Science. He is known internationally for his work in high performance programming languages and their applications. He has led several projects addressing large-scale data analytics.

Oscar Corcho, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Facultad de Informatica, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, and he belongs to the Ontology Engineering Group. His research activities are focused on Semantic e-Science and Real World Internet.

Michelle Galea, PhD, has over 15 years' experience in the public sector, banking and academia, addressing the challenges of managing data from strategic and research perspectives. She is a research associate in the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh.

Mark Parsons, PhD, is EPCC's Executive Director and Associate Dean for e-Research at The University of Edinburgh. He has wide-ranging interests in distributed and high performance computing and is a leading contributor to the European PRACE research infrastructure.

David Snelling, PhD, is a Senior Research Fellow and manager of the Research Transformation and Innovation team at Fujitsu Laboratories of Europe. He is a primary architect of the Unicore Grid and a member of the European Commission's Expert Groups on Next-generation Grids and Cloud Computing, W3C, OGF, DMTF and OASIS standards organizations.

Jano van Hemert, PhD, is the Imaging Research Manager and Academic Liaison at Optos, which is a global company providing retinal diagnostics. He is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Edinburgh and a member of The Young Academy of Scotland of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.