Temple University is offering a new competition this fall called the “Temple Analytics Challenge: Making Sense of Big Data.” The competition focuses on specific area of data analytics: making sense of big data through visualizations and infographics. Such graphics can quickly make a persuasive argument or explain trends. Graduates of Temple University’s Fox School of Business could find several job opportunities in big data analysis, so the competition could provide invaluable experience for MBA students at Fox.
The competition begins Tuesday, October 1st and is open to all students at Temple University. Students will choose one of four different challenge scenarios as a subject for a visualization. Data and problem sets for this challenge were developed by a team of corporate professionals and government representatives from Merck, Walmart, the City of Philadelphia, Independence Blue Cross, Electronic Ink, and the World Bank.
In this competition, Temple students will work individually or in teams to provide insight into issues facing modern industry using a clear and original visualization or infographic. The graphic can be a static image or an interactive feature. Teams are allowed to choose the computer programs they use to create their entries. The contest organizers will provide workshops throughout the month of October to help teams learn how to create effective visualizations. Workshops will include “Mapping Data Using Fusion Tables and CartoDB,” “Visualizing Data Using Excel,” and “Creating Infographics Using Piktochart.” Organizers will also provide mentoring for teams.
The judging portion of the competition occurs November 15, when teams will present their visualization to a panel of judges. Temple University will use money from the Temple Big Data Conference in 2012 to offer cash prizes for the competition. The winning visualization will receive $2,500, two runner ups will receive $1,000 each, and five honorable mentions will receive $500 each.