Monday, 21 October 2019
The Vizlib Monday Digest is a summary of recent articles from around the web helping you to stay in the know about how data is changing our lives. We’re sharing it with you to supercharge your week. (Feel free to share with colleagues and leave your thoughts in the comments!)
Using Big Data for good – to develop smart solutions against evils like human trafficking. As technology and data change our daily lives, not all the changes are positive like issues around privacy. Yet, by developing a strategy to share critical data between NGOs, airports and other key role-players, data scientists have created a human trafficking prevention model using the power of AI and data visualisation. The technology provides insights about trafficking operations, which occur in over 172 countries and identifies trafficking hotspots and patterns. Read more on this World Economic Forum article here.

Data literacy is like breathing – our daily lives depend on it. And for those that are not data-literate, the gap in participation keeps growing. Initiatives, like the Data Literacy project launched by Qlik, aim to encourage and improve data literacy and push for it to be part of the education system. “All of us in the business community are in a great position to demonstrate the power of data to transform and inspire.” Read more on what QlikTech Inc.’s Lisa Carraway has to say about bridging the data gap in this Forbes article.
Data should be treated like a commodity. Since data and analytics are here to stay, organisations will need to consider a strategic approach to reap its benefits. Ad hoc or once-off actions are not enough anymore. Learn more about how leading organisations weave data into their workflows and foster a data culture in this McKinsey article.
It’s easy to become a slave to data. To truly rule the flood of data in the business world requires the vital element of human intuition. It takes a mix of data-driven insights and human experience. Since neither data nor humans are infallible, they deserve equal respect, the piece suggests. Discover more on mastering data in this Forbes article.
Dashboards will help UK citizens plan for their future. The UK government is busy developing a pension’s dashboard that will allow users to see all their pension savings at a glance. The dashboard forms part of the Pension Schemes Bill mentioned in the Queen’s Speech and aims to help citizens plan for their retirement with the help of technology. Read more here.
Our quote of the day speaks to the magical combination of humans plus technology:
“Big data isn’t about bits, it’s about talent.” Douglas Merrill, CEO of ZestFinance and former CIO of Google.
Enjoy your week!
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