Activities and Support for Members

We help organisations new to evidence-based decision making; collect, process and analyse data. We help them appreciate the meaning hidden in their data so that they can understand more about the landscape in which they operate. We then encourage organisations who already have the expertise to collect data and create insight, to consider the moral implications of their actions. To think about social and environmental consequences of the pursuit of short-term goals. Our core believe is that decisions that encompass a wider perspective ultimately produce the best long-term results.

The foundation is a source of data science and artificial intelligence, knowledge and expertise; a communications and publishing platform for data scientists, a source of information for the public and a resource for organisations wanting to make better use of their data. We have built a community of people with similar interests, allowing them to communicate and to share knowledge and ideas. We promote the benefits of using data science, provide support to businesses new to data driven decision making and offer data science consultancy services.

Membership consists of large corporates, start-ups and individuals from across the globe. Members are encouraged via a Code of Conduct to be socially and environmentally aware when making decisions. The foundation is working with members to establish a consultancy service, the profits from which will be invested in providing additional services to members.

Data Science Foundation Funding

The activities of the foundation are funded by voluntary membership fees, donations, sponsorship and consultancy services. The services provided to individual members and universities are free of charge and will always remain free of charge. There is a recommended membership fee for supplier and corporate membership, but this is paid on a voluntary basis. The foundation is developing a data science consultancy service to support our remit in relation to informing, educating and implementing advanced analytics. The proceeds of the consultancy service will be used to fund the activities of the foundation and to develop new membership services.

Becoming a Member

To register your interest in becoming a member of the Data Science Foundation visit the Join Us page. Select a membership type on the form from the dropdown options and add your contact details. You will be sent an email containing a link to activate your account. Membership for Individual, Associate Members and University Administrators is free of charge. The costs associated with Corporate and Supplier membership are shown on the Membership Fees page.

Which type of membership to choose?
INDIVIDUAL: Data scientists, computer programmers, mathematicians, statisticians, related disciplines, students studying for a relevant qualification, people working with data scientists and data science agencies, those interested in learning more about data science
ORGANISATIONAL: Companies, organisations and public bodies using data science to generate insight, suppliers of data, AI and related data science services
UNIVERSITY: Data science and related course leaders or university representatives only. This membership type is not for students

The website

We will ensure that the website:

• Contains extensive and accurate information about data science and artificial intelligence
• Displays accurate records of corporate, supplier, individual and associate members
• Is the ideal place to find a data science provider and to start a data science project
• Provides a facility to rate and review members published work
• Allows members to create a personal newsfeed based on personal preferences
• Becomes a platform that allows individuals to gain recognition for their expertise and become leading figures within the industry

With these aims in mind, the foundation’s website has been built as a communications platform, a publishing tool and as a means for members to procure expertise or obtain employment. The site is a source of information for the media and for those interested in learning about data science.

Mission

To Improve Decision Making

To create and share ideas, knowledge and systems that enable individuals, organisations and machines to appreciate what constitutes a good decision, to have the necessary data to make a good decision and to continue to strive to make better decisions in the future

The Data Science Foundation is working to:

• Create a community of qualified and skilled data science professionals
• To encourage practitioners to consider the social and environmental impact of the decisions the data suggests they take
• Provide the data science community with a forum to share knowledge and ideas and to support professional development
• Develop approved professional standards that differentiate members from others working in the data science and advanced analytics sector
• Help organisations make better use of their data
• To keep our knowledge sharing and communications services free of charge for organisations and individuals who are unable to pay membership fees 

What is Data Science?

Data science is the structured approach to the extraction of intelligence from data. Data science combines techniques from disciplines such as statistics, computer science, operations research and many others to derive insight from data. Increases in computing power and the development of techniques to combine and analyse large and complex datasets have vastly improved the quality of insight that can be drawn from data. In a business context, this has enabled companies to develop a richer understanding of their customers’ behaviour, improve their production operations and build more accurate models of demand and capacity. Data science continues to improve organisations’ ability to plan for the future by providing a more solid foundation upon which to base their decisions.