Nedbank's Group Data Services (GDS) is trying to get Nedbank staff to think more deeply about data in working towards building a data-lead, data-driven organisation as part of the bank's Winning in 2020 strategy.
Data is flowing into datacentres more and more rapidly, as it is collected more and more constantly and ubiquitously, says Caroline Herron, lead architect for Group Data Services at Nedbank.
Traditionally, an organisation's data generally meant "batch data" collected, for example, via forms, says Herron. Today, however, people create data just by using biometric identification to enter a building or log onto a system, or by interacting with a teller who logs their requests or actions digitally, she offers. "Every time someone has an interaction, that is a slice of the data footprint."
The more constant recording of activities that would previously not have been stored as data reveals new information about subjects beyond facts on forms, namely their habits and behaviours, says Herron.
To harness the power of this more human, everyday data, it is important to shift away from seeing data as a distant resource stored in databases elsewhere, and start understanding data as a resource we are more and more constantly creating, says Herron. An increased awareness of how data is collected and how much it can reveal is important to understanding and considering how it can be applied to generate new and deeper insight, she says.
Group Data Services on Thursday hosted a data experience for Nedbank staff in the format of an Amazing Race challenge. Teams of staff raced to complete a set of physical activities and mental puzzles. The challenge attempted to connect structured, formal data about staff with unstructured data they created during the race, such as heart rate and blood pressure after exercising, and their progress through the course logged via apps and social media. The event aimed to showcase a unique data footprint of each participant.
In probing freely given data for insights, the race also aimed to raise questions and generate awareness around the ethics of gathering and using data.
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