Big Data

Workshop Leader(s) - Dr. Emmanouil Tranos, Dr. Daniel Arribas-Bel, Dr. Agnieszka Leszczynski (Geography, Earth and Environmental Science)

Big data presents both new challenges as well as exciting opportunities in a range of disciplines such as: the natural and life sciences, medicine, humanities, social sciences, business, computing and informatics. Big data and big data analytics are increasingly driving corporate and business strategy; informing economic, social, and urban policy; shaping cities; providing new sources of evidence for climate science research and the study of various urban processes; allowing for the discovery of new disease patterns and dynamics, unpacking the complexity of urban dynamics and even challenging the need of theory to explain human behaviour given the abundance of data.

Currently, many researchers at the University of Birmingham across these and other disciplines are conducting cutting-edge big data research, albeit in an isolated fashion. A University-wide, interdisciplinary conversation about big data research has yet to occur. This workshop will bring together big data researchers from across the University to ascertain the nature and range of research being conducted in this area; to determine interdisciplinary synergies and opportunities for research collaboration; and to identify methodological intersections in approaches to big data research across campus.

The workshop will be structured through a series of ‘lightning talks’ in which participants will provide a brief overview of their approaches and/or use of big data in their own research.

To register to attend this workshop please email Sarah Jeffery.