Media explore impact of data science

Journalists and technology specialists are meeting to explore how advances in data science are impacting on the media.

Delegates will explore how data science - which uses computer technology to draw out meaningful insights from large amounts of information, such as social media - is transforming all areas of the media sector.

They will discuss its likely impact on how journalists discover and write about news, and how broadcasters are engaging with audiences.

Personalised news

Media data are expected to unlock novel applications across a range of sectors and the Alan Turing Institute aims to be at the forefront of this wave of innovation.

Data science could enable journalists to make sense of large sets of numbers, such as voting analysis after elections.

It could also enable audiences to use interactive technology to personalise the news, such as in understanding the implications of a severe weather forecast.

The day-long summit at the Informatics Forum will include researchers, media professionals and technology companies.

Speakers and attendees include representatives from the BBC, Bloomberg, Channel 4 and The New York Times.

Archive material

Themes will include data journalism and audience engagement as well as how organisations can extract value from large amounts of archive data, for example old TV newsreels.

The summit is organised by the University of Edinburgh as a partner in The Alan Turing Institute.

The Alan Turing Institute is a joint venture between the universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh, Oxford, Warwick, UCL and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

The Institute will promote the development and use of advanced mathematics, computer science, algorithms and big data for human benefit.

We look forward to discussing in detail many of the challenges and opportunities that data science could create for news and media organisations.