End of 2019, time for taking stock, numbers and statistics. Time to look back to understand the articles we liked most, the ones we read with the greatest interest and that kept us company this year. Those we sought out of professional interest or just curiosity, those that a colleague passed to us or that we came across by glancing at the Twitter time line. We have also done this in past years and propose doing so again for this 2020, the year in which Ingenium will celebrate its fourth year of life.
Among the most appreciated in 2019 were interviews with people doing new jobs and who, through the story of their days and activities, have helped us to understand how work and the way of working have changed. Interest was also aroused by some technologies, undoubtedly those affirmed and most “fashionable”, such as Social Networks, Blockchain, Big Data and AI.
This is the ranking of the best articles of the past year.
Hackathon also in 2019?
“Looking at the coming year,” writes Andrea Manieri, “I am convinced that one of the most used words will be hackaton“. Since that 1999 in Calgary, Canada, when the first programming event that takes this name was organized launched, organized by the OpenBSD community to accelerate the development of IPV6 and IPSEC stacks in the operating system, time has passed. But there is still great interest in events like these, which leave room for creativity, develop and explore new ideas. Will this also be the case in 2020?
ICT professionals: needed but missing
The attention of readers was caught by the theme of work and the data of the fourth edition of the 2018 Digital Skills Observatory on ICT professions, which showed a growth in Italy of requests for ICT professionals (+19%) and unoccupied posts, given that in the face of a need in three-year period 2018-2020, which fluctuates between a conservative estimate of 62 thousand units and an expansive estimate of 88 thousand units, the level of supply totaled 72 thousand units, with a gap of unoccupied posts ranging between 10 and 16 thousand. Will things get better in the coming year?
The Profession of Data Scientist: the story of Michele Gabusi
Challenging jobs, competent people. Recounting the typical days, challenges, skills and people who work in Engineering and are able to describe well new professions such as those of the Data Scientist: “Basically it consists in exploring and processing data to solve problems and deliver new solutions. It is a team effort, where everyone must dig through data using different methods and based on his/her skills, but with a common purpose: to extract value from them and to produce an advantage for the customer“.
The Profession of Big Data Engineer: the story of Giuseppe Cancelliere
A baggage of passion for Artificial Intelligence and Analytics is one of the main things necessary for a Big Data Engineer, according to Giuseppe Cancelliere. Along with this, the need to “simplify the life of those who analyze data”. A new job, for which particular technical skills are undoubtedly necessary, but also an attitude for group working, sharing, exchanging views and discussing with colleagues, as well as continually studying and deepening new topics.
AI: here are the trends for 2019
Artificial Intelligence is certainly one of the technologies that more than others affected people during 2019. The article contains a forecast for next year: “85% of CIOs will pilot Artificial Intelligence programs through a combination of purchase, construction and outsourcing investments”. Will it really be like this? Will the trends forecast for the past year also mark 2020?
Work of tomorrow? Flexible and increasingly connected
2019 confirmed the transformation not only of professions, but also of the way of working, which has become more flexible and oriented towards collaboration, with open and highly connected environments. A way of working that, by 2021, IDC expects to be taken on board by 60% of Global 2000 companies (the largest listed companies in the world) which, by adopting a new concept of workspace, will improve the experience and productivity of employees. What will the workspace of the future be like?
Metadata volant, data manent
A reflection which, starting from the aphorism that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”, erroneously attributed to Leonardo, considers the possibility of manipulation not only of data, but also of metadata. “We have a datum, the phrase itself, and a metadatum, its attribution. The datum does not normally change, if only because of the laziness of modern cybernetic amanuenses, who cut and paste more than copy. But the metadatum, which is nevertheless an integral part of the information, has changed, and with it the entire information built around the datum”.
Social networks and data transfer: is there a crisis?
The Retail Transformation study, carried out by the Digital Transformation Institute and the CFMT in collaboration with SWG and Assintel, reveals how much people appreciate social networks for their ability to convey a large amount of information, useful for choosing with greater awareness and speed. However, this information is often considered unreliable and disorienting. The relationship with the protection of privacy by users is also complicated. Will it be different next year?
Blockchain calls for standards: an interview with Andrea Caccia
The President of the UNI/CT 532 Commission on Blockchain, Andrea Caccia, explains why it is important to standardize an increasingly widespread technology such as Blockchain. The importance of standardization, recognized in Europe by the EU Parliament Resolution dated 3 October 2018 and by the work being carried out by two of the three recognized European standardization bodies, CEN and CENELEC, can play a key and enabling role, as it seeks to answer issues such as ensuring adequate security levels.
Big Data between privacy and a desire for personalization
How well known are Big Data and their opportunities in 2018? The Retail Transformation study highlights poor knowledge by people about this technology, often associated with “data analysis” and “massive amounts of data”, despite the fact that there is a sincere interest in Big Data applications. The offer of personalized and free of charge services in exchange for the transfer of personal data remains an unsolved issue and leads to several contradictory answers. How will the situation evolve in the coming year?
