Data Analytics is in all our futures. Mind you, when I say
Data Analytics, I'm not referring to complex
Business Intelligence systems in the High Temples of Enterprises. I
am referring to tools that make our lives radically simpler, tools like Siri, which have successfully used Analytics to make a ridiculously complex task even more ridiculously simple (*).
Enter
Kaggle - a company dedicated to the proposition that Data Analytics can be a sport (albeit one for the brainy amongst us). You give them access to your data, the problem, and a prize. They (Kaggle), outsource the problem to their gaggle of smart people around the world, who compete with each other on finding the best solution to the problem. The winner gets the prize.
It hits all the right marks - competitive natures (FTW sucker!), prizes (money!), and the spirit of exploration. Also, for those companies that don't want to give up sensitive information, Kaggle also has a service where they do background checks, NDAs, and other fun stuff.
Its a remarkably simple idea, and one that I wish I'd thought of. Actually, given that Netflix did this a while back, I *should* have thought of this before. Sigh...
* - Take a look at
Jeff Wofford's excellent take on How Siri Works
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