Monday 14 October 2013

Data Mining and Cookie Butter

There is much buzz about the next revolution in technology and the coming innovations that will shape the 21st Century. Those welcoming this change espouse that our lives will be improved and the world will be far better because of this Technological Revolution. And maybe they're right, I know I could definitely use a self-driving vehicle to ease the commute while I sleep in a little longer.

At the heart of innovation is Data known also as Information. Data creates the foundation for all of technology to make decisions. Simply put, data is essential to the growth of technology.

Data and its conduit computer programs are like humans. They require instructions to understand their world. And a clear set of instructions is valuable stuff.

Read: Trader Joe's Crunchy Cookie Butter - instructions include: "Spread on pancakes or waffles. Peanut butter & cookie butter sandwiches. Serve on ice cream. Dip pretzels or celery. Do not refrigerate."

Sounds simple, but instructions that clearly state the obvious are essential to universal understanding. They provide a guideline - a structure for interaction. It helps to shape and mould our concept of what's possible by the simple act of rules being created. Mind you these are not limitations and you are welcome to colour outside the lines. Perhaps I'll make a Cookie Butter Smoothie later, who knows.

When we apply this same principle to Data and Computers we have information that forms a set of 'possibilities' that tell us what can happen. It's a constantly changing rule-set that when provided with a feedback loop can modify and evolve its own understanding of 'what's possible.'

This is where Data Mining comes in and the associated fields of Data Science and Algorithmic Research.  Behind human behaviour and economic activity there is an underlying pattern that can be understood, measured, and analyzed.

These patterns of activity are visible throughout the Universe. The evidence is in the way trees grow in a forest, how its branches are spaced, and the distance between each of its leaves. We understand it as the the 2 to 3 waist-to-hip ratio, and the Pythagorean Theorem.

Data is able to tell us what is possible if we understand how to formulate the right questions. And because knowledge is shaped by our analysis - a framework of instructions can be created. Coupled with a feedback mechanism to regulate its own understanding of the data, we have a computer program that is able to foresee what is possible while capable of managing its own reality.

Enter: piALGO