On Thursday, March 29, the Office of Science and Technology Policy announced President Obama’s $200 million “Big Data Research and Development Initiative,” a program aiming to make the most of the fast-growing volume of digital data. The plan calls for universities to play a big part in extracting knowledge and insights from massive and complex collections of data to help solve some of the country’s most pressing data management challenges. Experts from The iSchool at Drexel, which recently became one of 15 National Science Foundation-funded Computer and Information Science and Engineering Centers (CISE), are available to comment on the following topics:
“Big Data” the importance of effectively managing it, and what the President’s plan means for the nation: Dr. William Regli, a professor in the iSchool and executive director of the A.J. Drexel Applied Communications and Information Networking Institute, has published more than 250 scholarly articles, papers and technical reports in various areas of information management. He is also a founding member of the editorial board for IEEE Internet Computing. Dr. Regli is Co-Principal Investigator of the DataNet Federal Consortium, an $8 million National Science Foundation-funded group (spanning seven universities) charged with building and deploying a prototype national data management infrastructure.
Regli can address the following topics:
· What is the challenge of “Big Data”
· How does the President’s plan address “Big Data” and what does it mean for the country?
· Historic uses of “Big Data” and applied informatics in large-scale problem solving and decision making
· Drexel’s work as a member of the DataNet Federal Consortium in working to meet Big Data needs related to oceanography, hydrology, engineering design, plant biology, cognitive science and social science
· Drexel’s Applied Informatics Group’s work with the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Science Foundation
Drexel’s role in the President’s initiative, as an NSF-funded Center for Visual and Decision Informatics: Rod Miller, executive director of iSchool Enhancement, directs the interaction of the iSchool with industry, government and organizational leaders to provide access to the specialist capabilities of faculty. His focus is innovation priorities for Big Data research efforts that enable decision makers to improve fundamentally the way an organization’s information is integrated, analyzed and used.
Miller can address the following topics:
· Drexel’s role in the President’s initiative as an NSF Center for Visual and Decision Informatics
· What is the challenge of “Big Data”
· How Drexel is providing partnership opportunities with industry and/or governmental entities to collaborate on solutions to Big Data challenges
***To schedule an interview with Dr. William Regli or Rod Miller, contact the Drexel University Office of University Communications at 215-895-2617. ***