Interfaculty project helps students to confront real-world issues using big data analysis techniques.

Today's digital era has brought about unprecedented opportunities and challenges due to the proliferation of data. The vast volumes, variety, and velocity of information generated across various sources have made "big data" synonymous with these complexities. While organizations strive to harness its potential, they must also navigate complexities such as data governance, security, and visualization leading to the collaboration of different teams from business analytics, data science, and software engineering expertise. To provide an innovative learning experience, students from these varied fields worked together as a cross-functional team to confront real-world issues by applying the techniques learned in the big data module and their respective course modules.

During the CS6502 Applied Big Data and Visualization module, students participated in a wide range of projects, covering topics including crime rate prediction, healthcare outcomes, and socio-economic dynamics. This extensive range of project topics highlights the interdisciplinary nature of big data management and visualization.

Out of the 19 projects completed during the academic year 2023-2024, two projects that stood out were excellent examples of the success of this collaborative approach.

Project 1: Group 5, consisting of members from business analytics, data science, and software engineering cohorts, conducted a retrospective data analysis of climate change in the Shannon Region. By utilizing Apache Spark and Python libraries, they analyzed 48 years of weather data and found insights into the local effects of climate change, which could aid in making informed decisions for environmental conservation efforts.

Project 2: Led by a cross-functional team from all three programs, Group 9 delved into Ireland's housing crisis and future projections. Using extensive datasets, they identified socio-economic factors influencing housing dynamics, offering actionable insights for policymakers and stakeholders to effectively address housing challenges.

Dr. Andrew Ju praised the interdisciplinary collaboration shown in these projects and emphasized the value of diverse expertise in creating innovative solutions. He commended the students for their teamwork and dedication, recognizing their remarkable achievement in delivering significant outcomes from project commencement to completion.

Congratulations to all participating groups for their excellent efforts and contributions to advancing knowledge and understanding in the field of big data management and visualization.