New observatory keeps any eye on big data
KPMG are sponsoring a big data suite that will visualise data for businesses, scientists and students
Last week, the KPMG Data Observatory was launched as part of Imperial’s Data Science Institute. The purpose of the observatory is to enable the analysis and visualisation of data, particularly useful for large corporations that collect massive amounts of it.
This new observatory, which is part of the £20m funding provided by the professional services company, will make it easier for businesses to spot new patterns and emerging trends with greater clarity. The observatory consists of a massive 130 million pixel screen, powered by 32 computers and 313 degrees of surround sound.
It’s powered by 32 computers and 313 degrees of surround sound
Bringing scientists and business people together, this piece of kit is a big opportunity for college to further enhance its already strong ties with various corporations. It’s also a coup for the business school.
Imperial scientists will use the observatory to visualise data about the solar system and climate change. Mark Kennedy, Director of Imperial Business Analytics, argues that the main function of the observatory is to “take advantage of years and years of evolution,” and make use of the fact that “humans are really good at recognising patterns visually”.
For example, banks will be able to decide where to open new branches to enhance profits based on a visualisation of data trends that would ultimately pin point where the best location for a new branch would be. Mr Kennedy further added that “the more we can turn data into something visual, the more people can actually respond to what’s going on in the world, and take decisions that move organisations forward”.
One of the goals of the project is to provide a pilot for new data observatories where staff and students can interact and work with big data.
“We are still very much in the silent movie-era of big data”, said KPMG’s head of analytics, Alwin Magimay, who added, that “by finding better ways of visualising and analysing their data, companies will be able to unlock profitability”.
