KDnuggets™ News 14:n04, Feb 19

Features

• Poll Results: Text Analytics Use Shows No Significant Change- Feb 18, 2014.
  Surprisingly, latest KDnuggets Poll did not find a significant change in Text Analytics use over the past 2 years. While 66% make some use of text analytics, only 19% use it on the majority of their projects. Text Analytics seems to take off very slowly.
• 3 Ways to Test the Accuracy of Your Predictive Models- Feb 8, 2014.
  3 different methods for testing accuracy of predictive models from 3 leading analytics experts - Karl Rexer, John Elder, and Dean Abbott explain using lift charts, randomization testing, and bootstrap sampling.
• Cartoon: Data Scientist Valentine Day Prediction- Feb 13, 2014.
  New KDnuggets cartoon looks at a Data Scientist Valentine's Day prediction.
• One Page R: A Survival Guide to Data Science with R- Feb 14, 2014.
  A collection of useful one-page resources for a data miner, data scientist, and/or a decision scientist. The modules include code, lectures, and one-page recipes for getting things done.
• PAW Predictive Analytics World San Francisco, KDnuggets Discount- Feb 18, 2014.
  PAW, March 16-21, 2014 in San Francisco is the business event for predictive analytics professionals, managers and commercial practitioners - get a KDnuggets discount.
• KDnuggets talks to IBM: Data scientists: Hire an individual or team?- Feb 13, 2014.
  KDnuggets recent poll about Data Science - Individual vs Team has caught attention of IBM. Listen to the podcast where I discuss the unexpected findings of this poll and other Data Science topics.
• Deep Learning Wins Dogs vs Cats competition on Kaggle- Feb 5, 2014.
  A Deep learning expert wins Kaggle Dogs vs Cats image competition with an almost perfect result.

News

• Strata 2014: Highlights from Keynote Speeches- Feb 17, 2014.
  Highlights from keynote speeches delivered by various eminent big data technology leaders from industry and academia at Strata 2014 Conference held in Santa Clara recently.
• Kaggle March Machine Learning Mania- Feb 14, 2014.
  Can you turn 20 years of historical data into predictions for 2014 NCAA College Basketball Tournament, aka March Madness? Enter this Intel-sponsored tournament - predictions due Mar 19.
• Wikibon: Big Data market to reach $50 Billion by 2018- Feb 11, 2014.
  New Big Data Vendor market analysis projects growth from $18.6B is 2013 to $50B by 2017, driven by maturing technology and better focus on enterprise-grade capabilities. Lack of best practices and concerns over security and privacy remain major obstacles.
• EMVIC 2014: Eye Movements Verification and Identification Competition, 2nd call- Feb 11, 2014.
  The goal is to determine how people may be identified based on their eye movement characteristic. No special equipment required - the organizers provide a dataset of eye movement recordings.
• FastCompany 10 Most Innovative Companies in Big Data- Feb 10, 2014.
  Big Data-driven companies can now map your genome, find the best fit for clothing, and improve student grades, but it all comes at the expense of much reduced privacy. Here are 10 most innovative Big Data companies according to Fast Company.
• 10 Emerging Analytics Startups in India- Feb 7, 2014.
  India is becoming a powerhouse in Analytics, and here are 10 emerging Indian Analytics startups to watch in 2014: Crayon Data, Flutura, Axtria, Flytxt, Sapience Analytics, SIBIA Analytics, Ideal Analytics, FORMCEPT, IQR Consulting, and StatLabs.
• Twitter Data Grants for Researchers – submit a proposal by Mar 15- Feb 6, 2014.
  Researchers can get access to a comprehensive and very large set of Twitter data - submit a proposal to Twitter Data Grants pilot program by March 15.
• NASA Disk Detective – Find the Birthplace of Planets- Feb 5, 2014.
  Disk Detective crowdsourcing project helps to find dusty debris disks, which indicate early stages of forming planetary systems. Learning more about these stars can tell us how our Solar System formed.
• Top stories for Feb 9-15:- Feb 16, 2014.
  
  • Cartoon: Data Scientist Valentine Day Prediction
  • 3 Ways to Test the Accuracy of Your Predictive Models
  • One Page R: A Survival Guide to Data Science with R
  • Book: Mining of Massive Datasets, 2nd Edition, free download.

• Top stories for Feb 2-8- Feb 10, 2014.
  
  • Using Data Mining to Predict the Winter Olympics Medal Counts in Sochi
  • Top stories in January: Tutorial: Data Science in Python
  • 3 Ways to Test the Accuracy of Your Predictive Models
  • Viewpoint: Statistical Data Science, The Data Analysis Side.

Software

• Anaconda: Free enterprise-ready Python for Big data, Predictive Analytics- Feb 15, 2014.
  125+ cross-platform tested and optimized Python packages for advanced analytics totally free, even for commercial use.
• Aunsight: New Data Science Platform from Aunalytics- Feb 5, 2014.
  Aunsight , a powerful new Data Science Platform, will let data scientists easily design and customize powerful workflows, integrate disparate data sources, add new algorithms, and focus on solving big data problems.

Webcasts and Webinars

• Analytically Speaking Webcast with David J. Hand, Mar 5- Feb 7, 2014.
  Join "Analytically Speaking" webcast with David J. Hand, a 2-time president of the Royal Statistical Society, who will explain the commonplace nature of extraordinary events, laws behind chance moments in life, and the great importance of statistics.
• Webinar: Data Mining: Failure to Launch [Mar 19]- Feb 19, 2014.
  Learn how to get started with predictive modeling and overcome strategic and tactical limitations that cause data mining projects to fall short of their potential.

Courses

• NYU Stern Groundbreaking MS in Business Analytics- Feb 6, 2014.
  The NYU Stern MS in Business Analytics teaches experienced professionals how to understand the role of evidence-based data in decision-making and to leverage data as a valuable and predictive strategic asset. 5 modules starting May 2014.
• TMA Courses in Data Analytics [Apr: LA, May: DC]- Feb 19, 2014.
  Get up to speed in data mining faster and more effectively than with any other training program available. Next courses in LA and DC.

Meetings

• Big Data Innovation Summit, Santa Clara, April 9-10- Feb 11, 2014.
  Most organizations are only analyzing about 12% of their data. Find out how to maximize the potential of your data at the Big Data Innovation Summit, Apr 9-10, Santa Clara, CA.
• Get the Most from Your Data at PASS Business Analytics Conference, San Jose, May 7-9- Feb 7, 2014.
  The best in business analytics learning returns to San Jose with top Business Analytics, BI, and Data Science experts from Intuit, Microsoft, SurveyMonkey, Wells Fargo, and more – plus, special KDnuggets offer.

Jobs

• Amazon: Sr. Business Intelligence Engineer, Video Advertising- Feb 18, 2014.
  An outstanding BI engineer to design how our data will be stored and used, extract meaning from billions of data points, and automate processes to feed the right data into our machine learning engine.
• Quantcast: Modeling Scientist- Feb 17, 2014.
  Creatively tackle Quantcast most complex quantitative modeling problems and advance the company core statistical inference and algorithmic technology for audience targeting.
• Groupon: Data Analytics Engineer- Feb 13, 2014.
  Data modeling and design, development, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of data driven products built within the Data Science team.
• Groupon: Director of Data Science- Feb 13, 2014.
  Lead a talented team of scientists, analysts, and engineers, working on a variety of exciting analytics and modeling projects that have a direct impact on Groupon business.
• Groupon: Relevance Systems Engineer- Feb 13, 2014.
  Conceive, code, and launch next-generation Groupon ranking and personalization system to power all use cases for 40 countries, mobile, web, and e-mail.
• Groupon: Relevance Algorithms Engineer- Feb 13, 2014.
  Conceive, code, and launch the next-generation in Groupon ranking and personalization system; your algorithms will improve the daily experience of the entire Groupon user base.
• Objectifi: BI/Java Developer- Feb 12, 2014.
  Design and implement BI software and systems, be a key member on the Objectifi team, work directly with and learn from our Professional Services team, and actively on client engagements.
• BMS: Analytical Control Statistician- Feb 11, 2014.
  Serve as the point of a contact for statistical analysis and method trending, part of the Commercial Analytics group, supporting our global biologics QC network.
• NEC-Labs: Researcher- Feb 10, 2014.
  The Autonomic Management group creates innovative analytics from big data to simplify and automate management of IT/physical systems and services, from automobiles to a smart city, and seeks researchers to work on data analytics and mining for complex systems.
• Enova: Data Scientist- Feb 6, 2014.
  Seeking problem solvers, self-directors and action-oriented thinkers, to help automate current processes and while supporting the Advanced Analytics, Business Analytics, Fraud Analytics and Marketing Analytics teams.

Academic/Research positions

• AT&T Labs – Research: Statistician/Data Scientist- Feb 12, 2014.
  Strong data scientists with a passion for digging into data and extracting knowledge through analysis and visualization, to work on problems that cut across network management, customer analytics, operations research, and other aspects of our business.
• NTU (Singapore): Faculty in Statistics, Mathematical Sciences, Optimization- Feb 11, 2014.
  We are looking for excellent researchers with expertise in Statistics, Computational Mathematics, Optimization, and related areas. Mathematicians with outstanding track records in any field of pure and applied mathematics are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Uni-Weimar: Research positions in Big data analytics, IR, machine learning- Feb 15, 2014.
  The Web Technology and Information Systems Group has several positions for PhDs and Postdocs to help research in Big data analytics, information mining and retrieval, machine learning, natural language processing, and information extraction.
• NotreDame: Postdocs, Data Science- Feb 10, 2014.
  Interested in Data Science for the Common Good and enjoy asking big questions and developing data science algorithms? The Interdisciplinary Center for Network Science and Applications (iCeNSA) at the U. of Notre Dame has two openings for postdoctoral fellows in data science.

Publications

• Opening the Dataset: A Twelve-Step Program for Dataholics- Feb 15, 2014.
  Bruce Ratner, a functioning dataholic, writes dataiku verses, and paints swirling equations to relax. He shares his 12 step program that helps him, and others who love to data, to recover.
• New book on Mining User Generated Content – Save 25%- Feb 6, 2014.
  This book focuses on mining and applications of UGC (user-generated content) including social annotation, music information retrieval, social networks, and sentiment analysis.
• Book: Mining of Massive Datasets, 2nd Edition, free download- Feb 12, 2014.
  The second edition of this landmark book adds Jure Leskovec as a coauthor and has 3 new chapters, on mining large graphs, dimensionality reduction, and machine learning. You can still freely download a PDF version.
• Viewpoint: How analytics will drive the future- Feb 10, 2014.
  The president of Verisk Innovative Analytics explains the paradigm shift from company-centric to customer-centric and the role of big data and bigger analytics.
• Comments on "Why your company should NOT use Big Data"- Feb 10, 2014.
  Highlights from comments on a provocative article on NOT using Big Data. Big Data can be revolutionary, but it is not a substitute for thinking about the right goals and objectives.
• Viewpoint: Social Media Analysis: What is missing- Feb 15, 2014.
  Social Media Analysis is a powerful tool if we discover customer sentiment from millions of online sources and not just go behind the numbers. Businesses are using the power of social media to gain a better understanding of their markets.

Top Tweets

• Top KDnuggets tweets, Feb 14-17- Feb 18, 2014.
  
  • One Page R: A Survival Guide to Data Science with R
  • The Myth of the Bell Curve - human performance usually follows Power Law
  • Pylearn2, an open source Machine Learning library
  • Anaconda: Free enterprise-ready Python for Big data, Predictive Analytics.

• Top KDnuggets tweets, Feb 12-13- Feb 14, 2014.
  
  • Where to start learning #DataScience for 1) statisticians, 2) coders, and 3) newbies
  • import.io Automatic Data Extraction - a very easy way to get data
  • Best Twitter keyboard shortcut is ? - a question mark
  • Cartoon: Data Scientist Valentine Day Prediction.

• Top KDnuggets tweets, Feb 10-11- Feb 12, 2014.
  
  • Data scientist cartoon - too busy recommending things ...
  • Julia: One Programming Language to Rule Them All
  • Anaconda: free enterprise-ready Python distribution for large-scale data processing
  • 10 Most Innovative Companies in #BigData: GE, Kaggle, Ayasdi, IBM, Mount Sinai ...

• Top KDnuggets tweets, Feb 7-9- Feb 10, 2014.
  
  • 3 ways to test Predictive Models accuracy
  • 90% of top-paying IT jobs are related to #BigData, R
  • 10 Emerging Analytics Startups in India
  • CMSR Data Miner/Rule-Engine Software - free academic use.

• Top KDnuggets tweets, Feb 5-6- Feb 7, 2014.
  
  • A Deep Learning expert wins Dogs vs Cats competition with an almost perfect result
  • An alternative to R and #Python: Julia
  • Spark is a hot trend in #BigData but what is it exactly? Here is a explanation
  • etcML - Free Text-Analysis Tool - Machine Learning as a Service.

• Top KDnuggets tweets, Feb 3-4- Feb 5, 2014.
  
  • Great reading: How to Lie With Statistics
  • Give the Data to the People! Johnson & Johnson makes all its clinical trial data open
  • Pie Analytics - Keepin it Simple
  • Data scientists will love Aunsight, new data science platform

CFP - Calls for Papers

• KDD-2014 IG: 20th ACM SIGKDD Conf. on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining, Industry/Government track, due Feb 13
• KDD-2014: 20th ACM SIGKDD Conf. on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining, due Feb 13
• PAW-GOV: PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS WORLD GOVERNMENT , due Feb 21
• ACM Web Science Conference: WebSci'14, due Feb 23
• ECML PKDD 2014 W: ECML/PKDD 2014 call for Workshops, due Mar 1
• KDD-2014 T: KDD 2014 Tutorials, due Mar 1
• EDM: 8th European Conf. on Data Mining 2014, part of the Multi Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems (MCCSIS 2014), due Mar 3
• Know@LOD 2014: Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining Meets Linked Open Data, due Mar 6
• UMAP D: UMAP 2014 Doctoral Consortium at 22nd Int. Conf. on User Modeling, Adaptation, and Personalization , due Mar 7
• ECML/PKDD 2014 T: ECML/PKDD 2014 call for Tutorials, due Mar 7
• ECML/PKDD 2014 D: ECML/PKDD 2014 call for Demonstrations, due Mar 7
• PAW Boston: Predictive Analytics World, due Mar 14
• PAW HEALTHCARE: Predictive Analytics World for Healthcare, due Mar 14
• TIR'14: 11th Int. Workshop on Text-Based Information Retrieval, due Apr 24

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