Software, Data and Analytics – the perfect storm driving the change …

If you take a pause and look at things around, you will that you are surrounded by things/devices run my software.  Your car has at least half a dozen computers in it, your phone which is like a 10 in 1 device (phone, camera, camcorder, watch, radio, email, messaging …), your home security, garage door, …  Almost all mechanical and electronic appliances/devices are now run my computers - controlled by it and collecting data and monitoring it.  A watch is a very good example.  It used to be the epitome of mechanical design, intricate parts working together – people used to be really proud of owning a Rolex.  And then comes Apple Watch (and the smart watch revolution) and pretty much things have started to change. A digital watch run by software is giving Rolex and other luxury watches a run for their money.

 Data is something else that is taking over the world.  Everywhere people/companies are doing whatever they can to get data.  Either by your gadgets or your Internet browsing your social/professional apps.  The intent of this is to be able to get the data and then analyze it - which brings us to the next point.

 What is Analytics?  Take a trained engineer working on his machinery - observing it and storing important bits of data/information in his/her brain?  How the machine broke last time or how and when the last deadly accident happen and under what circumstances.  He then unconsciously starts to learn and recognize patterns and apply it to stop the unwanted behaviors using his experience.  The more he can predict the more valuable for the business he becomes.  This is exactly how Data Analytics works.  You look at data over periods of time, mark it with the critical behavior patterns/things you want to predict and try to derive a pattern.  Again this is done using software - replacing the need of the skilled and experienced engineer.

 If you put all this together – it looks like we are trying to be like a God - trying to put our created brains (software and analytics) everywhere so we can get the Data so we can predict the future and try to avoid it by taking a different route.  So for example if the data showed that every other summer the machine was breaking - we will now be able to order new parts and replace it in the spring - avoiding the unplanned downtime and any accidents.  

 Software is the key drivers of the above-mentioned phenomena.  Almost all changes in this modern world in the last 20 years are because of Software – the whole stock market and worlds economy is now run and manipulated by Software. Mobile/IoT/Data Analytics – Every business is now in the software business.  Think about airlines, railways, manufacturing, market/sales … - all businesses are now embracing software to make it faster, efficient, collect data, analyze and predict.  

 With this in perspective it is prudent and smart to make ourselves aware of this revolution.  So we can be a part of it and also make our kids embrace it and be part of it. They need to be taught how to think and work with computers.  Efforts like code.org and tools like scratch it is easy for kids to understand and learn coding.  At the same time programming languages like Python are making it easier for the mass to get started and are very powerful and productive languages.  We all need to be pushing this revolution with our kids in the forefront - so they drive it further.