Analytics

Those who use data wisely have competitive advantages and more profits. As a result, companies are increasing their focus on improving their data literacy. For example, the importance of data has led companies like AppNexus1 and Chevron2 to conduct internal data science competitions to identify and hone analytical talent. But, as noted in the kickoff blog post to our series on data-driven organizations, merely having data does not ensure you have a useful interpretation of that data.

Working in the engineering field means navigating a variety of needs. Those range from meeting various local and national regulatory statutes, to measuring and monitoring delivery of essential outputs like drinking water and power supply, to understanding the data surrounding regional operations on both the supply and demand side. Organizations that serve this market operate behind the scenes, yet impact our daily life in the United States.

Chances are, your data contains information about geographic locations in some form, whether it’s addresses, postal codes, GPS coordinates, or regions that are meaningful to your business. Are you putting this data to work to understand your key metrics from every angle? In the past, you might’ve needed specialized Geographic Information System (GIS) software, but today, these capabilities are built into Google BigQuery.

How much do you know about Domain-Driven Design (DDD)? It's a design approach to software development where the language and structure of software code match the business domain. The concept comes from a 2003 book by Eric Evans. And it influences software architects, information architects, data engineers, and computer science professionals who organize code and solve some seriously stressful software problems. Domain-Driven Design is a super-successful concept with brilliant business logic benefits.