By Maryalene LaPonsie
What has information overload done to us?
The search engine Bing would have us believe that we are all just a moment away from starting a food fight in the supermarket produce section. Even if the fruit doesn't start flying, experts agree that society is almost at critical mass when it comes to the amount of available data. But what are we to do with all of this information? Enter data scientists - the professionals responsible for filtering out the noise and analyzing essential information. The emerging world of competitive intelligence.
Data scientists are an integral part of competitive intelligence, a newly emerging field that encompasses a number of activities, such as data mining and analysis, that can help businesses gain a competitive edge. Ken Garrison, CEO of the industry group Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP), explains, "The field involves collecting data, analyzing it and delivering the data as intelligence that is actionable."
Data collection can be done either internally or externally, but competitive intelligence professionals stress that their collection techniques are legal and ethical.
Competitive intelligence is poised to offer data scientists increasing job opportunities in coming years. SCIP reports that the market for business intelligence is worth approximately $2 billion annually, and Garrison says that many corporations now operate their own competitive intelligence divisions.
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By OnlineDegrees.com,
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