This week Digital Catapult Centre Brighton hosted a big data meet up, bringing together local academics, businesses and enthusiasts to discuss the opportunities and application of big data.
Morgan McCarthy of CDO Partners (a data and analytics consultancy) and a resident at The Digital Catapult Centre Brighton, organised the meetup.
He shared his thoughts about why he is so passionate about unlocking the value of data and why he thinks big data is not just the province of large organisations.
Why did you decide to organise a Big Data meet up?
“There is an incredibly strong interest in Brighton around Big Data, which covers commercial applications, open data platforms, as well as including a range of highly innovative software and consulting solutions providers.
There hadn’t been a regular community driven event for a number years, and as data and analytics is changing and innovating at an incredible rate - we thought it was time to start consolidating the Brighton-based community again.”
Why is Big Data such an interesting technology right now?
“The opportunities for Big Data are literally limitless. The potential value to companies strategically identifying and exploiting their data assets is vast - you can see this in the valuations of companies like Facebook, Twitter and Uber. These companies market valuation far outstrips their revenue or financial capital, because it takes into account their ’data capital’.”
More and more organisations are beginning to see data as an essential asset that needs to be considered at the core of their business model, in order for them to become as effective and competitive as possible.”
Why are meetups like this important?
“Despite this universality of opportunity, knowledge of Big Data and big data analytics can still seem a little tribal rather than widespread, so events like Meetups are hugely valuable in bringing together organisations, practitioners, academics and enthusiasts to share perspectives and experiences.
For example, at the event it was clear there were a number of separate groups discussing the potential of an open data platform for Brighton involving academic research, local government and community led initiatives. Bringing these kinds of activities together enables us to share ideas, resources and expertise in order to increase the likelihood of something being delivered.”
What do you have planned next?
“We’re planning a series of events and topics for 2017 based on industry trends and local interest; if you’d like to get involved and suggest topics or areas of interest please fill in the form on http://bit.ly/brightonbigdata. We’d love to hear from you.”
For more information about the next meetup please contact morgan@cdo-partners.com follow them on @cdopartners or join the Big Data LinkedIn group
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