The first barcode was used in 1974 to scan in a pack of gum. Now they're used for everything from flight check-ins to patient records and warehouse inventory. They've even been used to track bees. Yes, bees.
Advanced academic backgrounds in statistics, mathematics, and other science and technology fields usually provide the raw analytical skills required for a data scientist's job. But even with such skills, some additional prep work is generally needed to handle such a job in private industry.
Farmers in southwest Georgia's Flint River Valley could one day get accurate, hyperlocal weather forecasts just for their individual farms up to three days in advance.
Business groups in a growing number of companies appear to be plowing ahead on data analytics projects with little input or help from their own IT organizations.
As corporate stockpiles of data continue to grow, mostly unmanaged, to massive levels, it's increasingly likely that many major organizations will face a crisis very soon.
Historically, cloud BI has been mostly used by smaller businesses, but larger enterprises are starting to make the trek.
With its new Fire Phone, Amazon is primarily interested in connecting to its 250 million Amazon and Prime customers with a phone that makes it quick and easy to shop over the Web.
Companies are having to be pickier about which data sets they collect, process and use. It's all about having the right architecture in place.
Brian A. Haugabrook, interim CIO at Valdosta State University in Georgia, deployed analytics tools that enable faculty and staff to identify students who need extra help. The effort paid off with higher graduation rates.
Some Excel tips and tricks for manipulating dates, and for getting data into the format you need, are also ready for your R pleasure.