Data Science for Society and Business

Digital innovations are rapidly conquering all areas of social and economic life. Today, modern societies can hardly function without social media, search engines, communication and e-commerce platforms, and individualized online offers. In less than a decade, these multi-purpose technologies have become the core components of an economy and other social sectors. 

External shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed digitalization toward another leap. Home-Office solutions, digital learning, online conferencing, telemedicine, cybersecurity and other digital services have become an essential part of our private, professional, and public life in no time. Meanwhile, we are permanently adding to the surging data stockpile gathered and harvested by the IT services. 

Research institutions, private firms, public administration, political parties, NGOs and other—including criminal—actors are already using and will continue to use “big” data to better understand, predict, and effectively intervene in issues of crucial interest to contemporary and future societies. 

Data may become the “new oil of the 21st century,” as predicted by British mathematician Clive Humby in 2006. The second part of his famous quote is already true: Data “is valuable, but if unrefined, it cannot really be used.”