Drowning in Data

The data scientists who find useful patterns in large data sets have been described as the new rock stars of the technology world. One application area for data science is computer network security. I will talk about some general issues with analysing big data to discover security problems in large computer networks, and some techniques that have been successful. My talk will also include an excuse to eat more chocolate.

Big data is what makes the science of complex systems possible. We gather data on neural activity, bees' foraging behaviour, and financial transactions. And then, rather than keeping these data separate, we look at them together. In my talk I will explain what we have learned from very different kinds of data about the way nature organises herself and how similar this is to how society works.