The Sol Plaatje University (SPU) School of Natural and Applied Science (NAS) will on 1 November 2022 launch the Centre for Applied Data Science (CADS).

The establishment of the CADS seeks to contribute to the growth of data science and its applications. This comes at a time when global production of data is growing at exponential volumes and greater complexity, thus necessitating the use of latest data science, data analytics, and big data methods to generate actionable insights for governments, industry, academia, and society at large.

The CADS aims to be an interdisciplinary, world-class research centre for applied data science that empowers society to make informed decisions. The Centre will motivate focus and coherence to how data is sourced, generated, managed, and used to advance the four niche areas in the School of NAS, as well as other disciplines within the institution.

Similar to the Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre (RVSC), CADS will provide a robust mechanism to grow and support research at SPU and stimulate research output over the next ten years and beyond. ABSA has invested 4.5 million in the establishment of a Chair in Data Science. The investment from ABSA will aid in effectively advancing SPU’s Data Science programme.

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