"You can have data without information,
but you cannot have information without data."1
As companies and organizations look to make decisions based on data, there is a large demand for
people that have the skills to help companies organize, manage and make better use of their data.
I have been fortunate enough to work in large companies as an enterprise data architect designing data systems
and overseeing cross-system projects to guarantee data quality and usefulness. After working many years in industry, my interest in
better understanding these problems led me to graduate school. I received a MSc in Computer
Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2008.
After 36 years in industry, I retired and began working in university computer science departments to continue
my study of problems involving data. Besides extending my understanding of these problems, my ultimate goal
was to share that understanding with students. I am currently an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at
the University of Richmond. I am also a graduate student in Data Science at Central Connecticut State University.
Interesting Times to Explore Problems with Data
For many years, we have been managing data successfully using a core set of theories, principles, and practices defined in the 1970s. Like so many other things, the Internet changed everything. The shear volume of data available due to the Internet has exploded. The theories and practices needed to successfully manage that flood is quickly developing driven by such notable players as Google, Yahoo, IBM and Oracle. Work in this field overlaps Computer Science, Bioinformatics, and Ethics.
