Data is a dime a dozen, but how do we use it? The new Research Unit for Data Science at TU Wien Informatics is dedicated to intelligent data analysis for social added value and evidence-based decisions.

Pandemic, blackout, inflation – these unprecedented challenges have one thing in common: they can be regulated with the help of intelligent data analysis. At the end of his Deutsche Telekom Endowed Professorship for Data Intelligence, the internationally renowned data scientist Allan Hanbury takes over the new Data Science research area at the Faculty of Computer Science at TU Vienna.

Collaboration with partners from the public sector and industry makes it possible to evaluate enormously large volumes of data. To test the effectiveness of quarantine measures during the Covid-19 pandemic, Hanbury and his group worked with two mobile operators to analyze anonymized and aggregated movement data. But the researchers are also using network data to detect signal interference to prevent large-scale cable network outages. “The endowed professorship with T-Labs has paved the way for the new research area of Data Science,” Hanbury is convinced, “we are now pooling the diverse knowledge and skills from all data-related research fields in computer science.” These include projects for AI-powered infrastructure and energy efficiency, the analysis of health data for improved preventive care, and new methods for data analysis, modeling, and simulation.

Human-machine: creating systems we trust

The Data Science research area is committed to Digital Humanism, which ensures that technological development is in the interest of people. Making the use of data transparent is a top priority in order to counter controversial phenomena such as fake news, micro-targeting, and filter bubbles. The team of the associated Christian Doppler Laboratory for Recommender Systems led by Julia Neidhardt, is researching new ways to make the digital world more diverse. In addition, the new professorship “Complexity Science for Societal Good” creates further expertise in socially responsible Data Science and close collaboration with the public. Complexity researcher Fariba Karimi will strengthen the department in this role.

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