Author Archive

Happy Holidays from SVDS

Happy holidays from SVDS! We wish you peace, prosperity, and happiness this season and in the year ahead.

Q&A: On Being Data-Driven

The best way to spread data-driven thinking through an organization is by proving that you can use data to solve a real business problem.

Managing Uncertainty

Being data-driven is the best way to manage uncertainty—but achieving that is about far more than bringing a bunch of numbers to your latest meeting.

Analyzing Sentiment in Caltrain Tweets

Analyzing Sentiment in Caltrain Tweets

As a first step to using Twitter activity as one of the data sources for train prediction, we start with a simple question: How do Twitter users currently feel about Caltrain?

Learning from Imbalanced Classes

For this month’s Throwback Thursday, a post that provides insight and concrete advice on how to tackle imbalanced data.

Evaluating Data Science Projects

Evaluating Data Science Projects: A Case Study Critique

You should understand whether the right things have been measured and whether the results are suitable for the business problem.

Space Shuttle Problems: Long-term Planning Amid Changing Technology

How can you manage your implementation in a way that allows you to take maximum advantage of technology innovation as you go, rather than having to freeze your view of technology to today’s state and design something that will be outdated when it launches? You must start by deciding which pieces are necessary now, and which can wait.

ML vs Stats

Machine Learning vs. Statistics

We (Tom, a Machine Learning practitioner, and Drew, a professional Statistician) have worked together for several years. We believe we have an understanding of the role of each field within data science, which we attempt to articulate here.

Effective Data Leadership

The First 100 Days: FAQs

Most companies are still trying to figure out how their data leaders can make a real impact in a short time frame. Here are some FAQ for CDOs.