Data and Society: Columbia Science Commits

From the readings provided by medical instruments to ecological sensors monitoring pollution, to digital signals sent from spacecraft circling distant planets, data is the foundation of all scientific exploration. The most basic units of information, data offer scientists a glimpse of truths that are otherwise invisible. In the Information Age, we are witnessing a revolution in digital technologies and instruments creating unprecedented amounts of data and the immediate need for new methods to analyze it. Hundreds of Columbia University researchers across an astounding array of disciplines are working together to develop innovative, new ways to organize, access, and make use of the vast information we are collectively gathering.

In this video, Jeannette Wing, Ivan Corwin, John Cunningham, and David Madigan — four of Columbia’s leading investigators — explain their research and Columbia’s commitment to harnessing data science and big data for the benefit of society.