Stats Soc Monthly Talk: ``Big Data’’ and the business of online

 This month’s Stat Society NSW talk may interest many in the School; all are welcome.
It concerns issues and challenges of ``big data’’ in the business of online.  The talk
is next Tuesday 20th, 6.30-7.30pm, and light refreshments are put on from 6.  Details
are given below, or see the PDF flyer at:

http://www.maths.usyd.edu.au/u/michaels/Monthly_Meeting_2011_Sept.pdf 

Cheers, 

Michael 


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Challenges and opportunities of "big data" in the business of online 

Tuesday, 20 September 2011 

Seminar Room 442, New Law School Building Annex 

Mr Leon Bombotas - CBS Interactive 

This presentation will discuss the business of online: the data it creates, the nature
of problems it faces day to day and the types of people that are needed to find
solutions to those problems.  

In the business of online there’s more data than anyone knows what to do with.  The
digitisation of our lives is creating an unprecedented amount of information about us
and how we interact with the world around us.  Over 80% of Australians are using the
Internet at least once a month; about 70% are on Facebook; more than half are accessing
the Web via a mobile device, the majority of those via a smartphone.  The average
Australian spends a staggering 22 hours online per week clicking, browsing, friending,
"like-ing", poking, tweeting, checking-out and searching.  And each of these
transactions generates a trail, an entry in a database somewhere.  This popular shift to
digital media is fuelling an exponential growth in data creation.  

Analysing large data sets - “big data” - is tipped to become a key source of
competition, stimulating new waves of productivity growth, innovation, and consumer
surplus.  The opportunity in online is to leverage this data or rather, the insights
from the data, to drive improvements in the way in which business engages with
customers.  

The problem is, who is going to analyse this data? A recent study by the McKinsey
Institute suggests a gap of as many as 1.7 million data-savvy managers and analytics
practitioners in the US alone.  Using real-world business problems as examples, this
presentation will make the case for statisticians and data analysts to look more closely
at the internet industry for research, commercial and professional opportunities.  



Biography of Leon Bombotas: 

Mr Leon Bombotas has recently taken up the position of Director of Insights and Research
Asia Pacific for CBS Interactive (includes brands such as CNET, ZDNET, Gamespot and
Last.fm).  

A statistics graduate from Macquarie (with MBA from UTS majoring in eBusiness), Leon has
spent the better part of the last 12 years working in data-driven marketing for
e-commerce, media and telecommunications businesses.  He has worked on numerous data and
analytics projects at companies such as Telstra Media, eBay, ninemsn, Hutchison Telecom
and 3.  

He currently sits on the Measurement Council of the Internet Advertising Bureau, the
peak industry body for online marketing and advertising standards in Australia.