BAU Istanbul Big Data Education and Research Center

 

The “Istanbul Big Data Education and Research Center” project (reference number “TR10/16/YNY/0036”), carried out by the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences of Bahçeşehir University under the Istanbul Development Agency's 2016 Innovative and Creative Istanbul Financial Support Program, has been completed at Bahçeşehir University South Campus. Having also started its academic and industry activities as the “Big Data Application and Research Center”, the Center has set out with the goal of becoming a pioneer in big data analytics in Türkiye.

 

Today, the elements of the information society can be seen in every area of life. Every individual in society now benefits from these developments and innovations through smartphones, wearable technologies and high-capacity devices. In this information age, rather than being spectators of the rapid developments in technology and computer science, becoming individuals who learn, use and develop them along with their technical foundations is of great importance both for the national economy and for scientific and industrial contribution.

 

Data is the most important element of the competitive world. However, data is raw and invisible. It needs to be structured and made meaningful. As the amount of data grows to incredible proportions, the speed of access to information has increased in parallel. At the same time, supercomputers capable of hundreds of trillions of operations per second are being used.

 

Big data analytics is expected to take IT-based decision support to the next level in many critical areas, providing significant savings and new opportunities. Examples of these areas include healthcare, employment, industrial productivity, crime reduction and security, and the management of resources and natural disasters. Most simply, companies that can interpret big data well, which reveals consumer trends directly, set their strategies accordingly and make risk-free investments.

 

The Big Data Analytics and Management Master's Program launched within the Bahçeşehir University Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences will make a major contribution to closing the shortage of experts in this field in Türkiye. As we have seen, there is great interest in this discipline in Türkiye, and the Bahçeşehir University Big Data Analytics and Management Master's Program attracts successful students. In this field, which requires great theoretical depth, the practical support of leading industry companies to academia is of great importance. Educating successful, creative, analytical and solution-oriented engineers is among the top priorities of universities. Through our Center, we will continue our educational activities and also provide our students with opportunities for practice.

 

Great responsibilities fall on the industry companies and valued academics who contribute or will contribute to the Center. As part of the activities to raise the Center's profile, we have organized many events in the short and medium term and will continue to do so. Close contact will be maintained with companies providing services in the big data sector. To this end, various activities are carried out with the main aim of conducting joint projects with companies operating in the sector, providing training and increasing the research and development capacities of companies. Within the framework of the Big Data Application and Research Center, a network is being built that will include relevant companies, non-governmental organizations, local governments and universities operating in Türkiye and around the world. In this way, the aim is to contribute to the use and production of high-technology products in Türkiye in the medium term.

 

For detailed information about the BAU Istanbul Big Data Education and Research Center, please click here.