I grew up in South Africa and got my science education there, so when I heard about Data Science Africa I was naturally keen to get involved. Their mission is inspiring:
Data from a vast array of sources is becoming available in many African countries. Machine learning and analysis are being applied to solve real problems on the ground. We at Data Science Africa aim to create a hub in the network of data science researchers across Africa, by,
Two of my favourite things about ARM are its goal of working with the ecosystem to solve problems that matter and its commitment to engaging with STEM education in a concrete, sustainable way. So I’m really excited to share that ARM is a gold sponsor of the upcoming Data Science Africa workshop.
I’ll be attending the event at the Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology in Arusha, Tanzania, with my colleague Jan Jongboom.
Data science Africa
The first part of the event is a summer school. We’ll be bringing mbed devices for attendees to build on. Jan will present a tutorial to enable attendees to use the ARM mbed platform to go from device to data to delivered analysis. The platform takes care of connectivity, security, provisioning and updates, so that users can focus on their goals.
Next up will be a workshop, with researchers from many universities and companies, government representatives & development practitioners coming together, to work on the application of data science methods to problems relevant to Africa.
In many cases, the researchers involved are using ARM-based devices in projects around air pollution monitoring, livestock activity tracking and wildlife conservation. It’s going be exciting to be part of the next stage of innovation.
We’ll share more info soon, watch this space!