Waterloo welcomes Hilary Mason, global leader in big data

People interested in the startup world of data science need a hacker mindset:  the “ability to solve problems without a map,” says renowned data scientist Hilary Mason.

“I am a huge fan of a hacker mindset and I mean that not in the evil way but in a good way,” says Mason, data scientist in residence at Accel Partners and former chief scientist of Bitly, a link-shortening company that helps people share millions of links everyday across social media platforms.

Mason says the startup community needs people who can solve problems and create and work without a step-by-step plan.

“You also need the ability to play – to know how to go from the data you have to an interesting question that is relevant,” says Mason, who is listed as one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business.

Big data refers to any collection of data sets that can’t be processed using traditional data applications. It’s being used to understand everything from social media usage and consumer behavior to social uprisings and virus outbreaks. The results are not only revolutionizing businesses but are helping expand the understanding of human behaviour.

Mason speaks at Open Data event in Stratford

Mason will conduct a Master Class at the University of Waterloo campus on Feb. 28. Later in the day she will speak at the University’s Stratford campus as part of CODE 2014 Inspiration Day . There is a full weekend of events on the Stratford campus as it hosts the first national open data hackathon: Canadian Open Data Experience (CODE) event from February 28 to March 2.

Mason will be speaking on the impact of big data the need for its creative interpretation through data visualization. Big data can give society a deeper understanding of everything from social media usage to consumer behavior and virus outbreaks.

Global leaders in data visualization speak in Stratford

In addition to Mason, Chief Creative Officer and co-founder of DataAppeal, Nadia Amoroso, will share data visualization best practices for creative mapping and design. Haim Sechter, co-founder and CEO of DataAppeal, will discuss how to enhance the visual display of information to make it more understandable and effective in day-to-day decision-making.

“We are so fortunate to have some of the world’s preeminent experts in two fascinating and emerging fields coming to our campus, “ says Ginny Dybenko, executive director, University of Waterloo Stratford Campus. “Big data and data visualization will continue to have a tremendous impact on daily life, another example of how technical understanding and creative thinking are interwoven in digital media.”

Mason says while data by itself is not very useful, “when we start to play with it and think about it we can learn about things we never would have had the opportunity to learn. There are applications in both business and science.”