Data Science for Business: What You Need to Know About Data Mining and Data-Analytic Thinking, written by Foster Provost and Tom Fawcett, has struck a chord with executives keen to explore the possibilities of data.
As a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, Provost noticed during his data classes that there weren’t any books he could recommend to his MBA students that taught the fundamental principles underlying data science and data analytic thinking. The books available were either too granular and focused on the math, or else too high-level. Provost stopped using a book altogether and started writing class notes, eventually compiling them into a book with former colleague Tom Fawcett. Data Science for Business goes beyond this note-taking, and is designed to equip business executives with the knowledge they need to manage data scientists, gather data, and extract value from it.
We had the opportunity to engage in a discussion with Foster Provost about the value of sharing data knowledge across an organization, leveraging data as a strategic asset, and privacy implications, among other points. He also took us through a crash course on some of the fundamental concepts behind data science.
Reprinted by permission. The full transcripted conversation is available here.
Interview conducted by Justin Hendrix, Executive Director for NYC Media Lab. Video filmed and edited by Julia Evanczuk, Marketing Manager at NYC Media Lab.
