The Big Data Africa Summer School, a unique initiative, was held for the first time in Africa from 2 to 12 April 2017 in Cape Town.

With the Square Kilometre Array South Africa (SKA SA) and the Medical Research Council (SAMRC) joining forces for the first time, this unique initiative allowed students to discover the fundamentals of big data research. The Summer School exposed students from various academic backgrounds to the idea that transferring knowledge in the area of data science builds on a multi-disciplinary approach. By applying their knowledge to practical areas in astronomy, bioinformatics and health sciences, they can overcome the challenges of big data.

“The challenge of managing big data sets is going to become increasingly important as we move into the age of omics (as in genomics, proteomics or metabolomics) and personalised medicine,” says Dr Richard Gordon, Executive Director of the SAMRC Grants Innovation and Product Development unit.

“The Big Data Summer School equips African scientists with technologies that will place them at the forefront of research and data management.”

In South Africa and globally, the proliferation of data across various sectors increases the demand for individuals who can manipulate, analyse and visualise complex data systems. The school is poised to contribute to creating critical data science skills in all areas of science research and aims to find solutions to the next data challenges facing all research disciplines.

To place the data challenges of the ground-breaking radio telescope, the SKA, in context, it is predicted that data collected in a single day would take nearly two million years to play back on an iPod.

“South Africa can and should play a leading role in the global big data economy, and can and should be a world-leading centre for research and machine learning and cognitive computing. At SKA SA we believe that the key to becoming a world leader in big data and cognitive computing is to train our best young people in these areas,” says Dr Rob Adam, SKA SA Managing Director.

The SAMRC featured its precision medicine programme as part of the curriculum. This progressive programme aims to build innovative tools and capabilities to create a precision medicine environment.

“Precision medicine affords us the skill and ability to analyse data across broad spectrums to enhance our understanding of patient health and well-being,” says President and CEO of the SAMRC, Professor Glenda Gray. “The accuracy associated with this new approach to prognosis will benefit the South African health care system as it has the potential to expedite health care service delivery,” Gray concluded.

The Summer School brings to life the reality of a data-driven society that is able to better plan and use its resources through effective and accurate data modelling. Exploring innovative ways of data modelling will give new insights into challenges that society currently faces. The Summer School targeted undergraduate and Master’s degree students. The knowledge and skills acquired will propel their careers as early career researchers.

Katlego Sehemo (21), a final year BSc Data Science student at the Sol Plaatje University, has attended the Big Data Africa events hosted by SKA SA since its inception. He attended both Big Data Careers Day events held by SKA SA in Cape Town 2015 and Kimberley in 2016.

“The Big Data Summer School was really a great experience as it was my first time attending something like this. It was informative and challenging, and a really big learning moment for me. I learned the true meaning of teamwork and the accomplishment that comes with it,” he says. “It was really a great privilege to attend such a mind blowing event.”