Henrik Boström
Professor of Computer Science with focus on data analysis systems
The data analysis research area concerns methods and technology for gathering, organising and analysing data, with the aim of generating new knowledge. The data which is collected may come from many different types of sources, such as patient record systems, customer databases or news flows. The format will vary and may e.g. comprise text, images or time series. This may be static or streaming data, subsequently collected on a continuous basis and where the source may also undergo changes
Special methods are needed to handle very large data volumes, to combine various types of data and to convert data to formats which support analysis on an effective and appropriate basis. The result of an analysis may be intended for human interpretation and then be presented in the form of e.g. rules or decision trees, providing a basis for new insights and decision making. The results may also be highly complex models which are initially intended for automatic decision making or predictions.
Data analysis methods and technology have had a major impact in society. Examples of application areas are prediction of the characteristics of untested chemical compounds within the pharmaceutical industry, customer care and sales optimisation, as well as planning of vehicle maintenance.