Big data tie-up for UNITEN
ANALYTICS can be a core catalyst to achieve high performance in the energy industry.
Big data analytics help uncover hidden patterns, unknown correlations, market trends, customer preferences and other useful information that can help organisations make more informed business decisions.
In order for data assets to be used to improve operational efficiency, reliability, decision making and customer service, the talents related to data sciences especially for the predictive aspects of technology must be ready.
In view of this need, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) — which is aspiring to become a globally competitive, energyfocused university by 2025 — is ramping up efforts to generate the professional workforce and research in energy related areas.
Its latest effort is the inking of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ireland’s Dublin City University that will provide students and faculty staff of both parties opportunities for global learning and academic pursuit in the said area through exchange and collaboration.
Initiated by UNITEN’s Institute of Informatics and Computing in Energy (IICE) that focuses on energy informatics research, the two-year collaboration is expected to see joint facilitation and supervision of postgraduate studies, exchange of academic or research staff, joint research activities, joint publications, conferences, symposium, study abroad and exchange programmes.
“In addition to collaborations between universities, the need for sharing knowledge between higher learning institutions and industry has become increasingly evident in recent years. Historically, institutions were perceived as a source of new ideas and industry usually offered a natural route to maximising the use of these ideas.
“However, the past years have seen significant change in the roles of both parties. Many companies are developing open innovation approaches to research and development, combining in-house and external sources, and aiming to maximise economic value from their intellectual property, even when it is not directly linked to their core business. In particular, they have begun to treat university research as a strategic resource,” said UNITEN vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Ir Dr. Kamal Nasharuddin Mustapha.
He was speaking at the opening of the 7th International Conference on Information Technology and Multimedia (ICIMU2017) that was organised by UNITEN’s College of Computer Science and Information Tech- nology in Bangi, Selangor.
With the theme of Powering Information Society through Data Analytics, ICIMU2017 was organised with the purpose of bringing together academics, researchers, experienced professionals and industries to not only exchange research results and address open issues in all aspects of information and multimedia technology, but also to foster new research and innovations in data analytics technologies and services.
At the event, TNB chief information officer Fazil Ibrahim delivered a key address titled “Powering TNB’s Excellence Through Digital” while Dublin City University Insight Centre of Data Analytics director Professor Alan Smeaton delivered a speech on “A Neural Basis for the Implementation of Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence”.
ICIMU2017 was officially opened by Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation (Strategic Planning) senior under secretary Dr Mohd Mokhtar Tahar who was representing the ministry’s secretary general Datuk Seri Mohd Azhar Yahya.