SAS, a global leader in analytics, will support Turkey's first and only Big Data Behavioral Analysis and Visualization Lab established by Sabancı University in association with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the strategic partnership of Akbank. By sponsoring the Lab's efforts to develop demos and prototypes of new business models for associated groups, sector analysts and managers through the models and findings generated during studies, SAS will leverage its global expertise for all processes, contributing to the success of the project.
Turkey's first and only Big Data Behavioral Analysis and Visualization Lab was established by Sabancı University in association with MIT and with the strategic partnership of Akbank to carry out big data analytics that will address the needs of the industry and businesses. The Lab now receives further support from SAS, a global leader in analytics. SAS will provide analytics software and global expertise to make significant contributions to the success of the project.
The lab will be the setting for close cooperation and joint research with MIT Media Lab Human Dynamics Group faculty and researchers. The Human Dynamics Group strives to explain the behavior of people in daily life and social settings based on the analysis of Big Data collected from various sources, and seeks to develop mathematical models and techniques for predicting such behavior. These subjects are included in the areas of interest and study for the new lab, where exercises will include "data visualization" or the visualization of databases of complex relations to make sense of data. The studies in the Lab will reflect the needs of the industry and businesses.
SAS Turkey General Manager Hakan Erdemli said: "This project is critical to us in two ways: First, we are excited that the lab will be addressing the needs of the industry and businesses, and will undoubtedly produce high-quality work that will make significant contributions. Secondly, SAS is in full support of universities dealing with data and analytics, which have a sizeable presence in business and will continue to expand its influence, so that students can gain this vision before they graduate. I am fully confident that we will achieve greatness in both areas."
Lab director Associate Professor Burçin Bozkaya noted that Big Data Analytics is continuously expanding in importance and applications worldwide, and that the Lab was an exemplary first initiative of academia-business partnership in Big Data in Turkey. Dr. Bozkaya said that SAS' support to the Lab would enable companies to conduct their big data analytics research in the Lab more effectively, and that they were delighted to receive assistance from SAS in all business and data analytics training programs offered at Sabancı University from the undergraduate to the PhD level.
About the Big Data Behavioral Analysis and Visualization Lab
Big data analysis is becoming more important and widely available every day. Prior to the foundation of the lab, Sabancı University, MIT Media Lab and the leading financial companies collaborated to conduct studies on this subject. When these studies yielded positive results, it was decided to continue research within a larger and more comprehensive Lab.
Sabancı University will work with faculty and researchers of the MIT Media Lab Human Dynamics Group in the Big Data Behavioral Analysis and Visualization Lab.
The big data analytics work in the Lab will explain the behavior of individuals, social groups and consumers in different settings by mathematical models and relations. Models and findings acquired as a result of these studies will have the potential to help associated groups, industry analysts and executives to create demos and prototypes for developing new business models. The results will also be applicable to business. There is also the possibility of obtaining findings and results that will be closely relevant to the academic world in terms of fundamental research.
About SAS
SAS is a global leader in busness analytics software and services, and the largest independent solution provider in business intelligence. SAS helps its clients improve their performance with over 75,000 configurations and creates value for them by enabling them to make quicker and more accurate decisions. In short, SAS has been introducing people to THE POWER TO KNOW worldwide since 1976.