November 30, 2015
FIELD GUIDE OFFERS COLLECTIVE INSIGHT INTO THE ART OF DATA SCIENCE
McLean, Va — Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE:BAH), a leading provider of management consulting, technology and engineering services, today released its second edition of The Field Guide to Data Science.
This latest edition is an update to The Field Guide to Data Science, which was originally released in November of 2013. The resource is widely regarded throughout government and industry as the definitive guide to data science. It has served as the foundation for the definition and role of data science within major government and commercial organizations, and universities have integrated it as part of their data science course work.
The goal of The Field Guide to Data Science is to help organizations of all types understand how to make use of their data as a resource. The Field Guide captures practical insights and lessons learned from Booz Allen’s nearly 600-person data science team. The book is available for free as part of Booz Allen’s continuing effort to advance the art of data science.
The second edition of The Field Guide to Data Science reflects Booz Allen’s evolving perspective on cutting-edge analytics techniques, including deep learning. The guide, by extension, taps into the diverse, collective expertise of the firm’s data science team and contributors from the broader data science community. It offers perspective into how organizations can navigate the data science waters to capture revenue-driving and mission-enabling insights.
“The release of the original Field Guide to Data Science was foundational in Booz Allen’s efforts to grow data science as a discipline,” said Booz Allen Senior Vice President and Data Scientist Josh Sullivan. “Based on the overwhelmingly positive response to the first edition, as well as the pace at which the practice of data science is evolving, we’re thrilled to release an update to The Field Guide that offers fresh insights on the most advanced data science methods currently being deployed. Everyone, from the senior executive to the skilled practitioner to the data science novice, can find value in this new edition.”
The second edition features:
- New case studies featuring federal, nonprofit, and corporate organizations that have applied data science to solve organizational challenges, including:
- Streamlining medication review and making vaccines safer at the Food and Drug Administration
- Reducing flight delays at the Federal Aviation Administration
- Forecasting a nation’s relative risk for future mass atrocities with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s preventative Early Warning Project
- Predicting customer response to promotional campaigns at InterContinental Hotels Group
- An updated guide to analytics selection: a comprehensive diagram that helps users answer questions about analytics goals and problem characteristics to better guide them toward the most appropriate analytical techniques for their unique challenges
- Additions to “Life in the Trenches,” a chapter outlining how data science experts have developed new solutions – including a feature on the promise of machine-learning and a contribution on ensemble models from Kaggle Head of Competitions Will Cukierski
- “The Future of Data Science,” a concluding feature by Booz Allen Principal Data Scientist Kirk Borne that examines the trends and developments Booz Allen anticipates emerging in data science in the coming years
“The Field Guide is a comprehensive yet readable resource on using data effectively,” said Will Cukierski of Kaggle. “Whether your interest is the techniques, the people, or the strategy of data science practice, you'll come away from it with great ideas for applying analytics in new and creative ways.”
The guide is available for free via the Booz Allen website. Booz Allen has also released the guide in open source format on its GitHub page, allowing the community to contribute directly.
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