Statistics for Big Data

After noting the relative absence of statisticians from the community of practice engaged with big data, we explain what big data is, how it's done, and who's working with it. Statisticians have much more to contribute in both the intellectual vitality and the practical utility of big data. At the same time, big data challenges statisticians to move out of some familiar habits to engage less structured problems, to become more comfortable with ambiguity, and to engage computer scientists in a more fruitful discussion of what the various parties can bring to this new mode of investigation. In this talk, we propose some potential directions for future research.

This talk is mainly based upon a 2014 joint paper with Dr. John Jordan.