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techUK's 'Big Data Hero' campaign highlights Big Data leaders in the UK as part of our work to address the Big Data skills gap.

techUK's 'Big Data Hero' campaign continues to champion Big Data leaders in the UK that are working hard to ensure the UK can fully realise the benefits of Big Data and Data Analytics.

techUK's campaign highlights the people that are making a difference and asking them what made them choose this career, how they got there, what their typical day involves and what they most enjoy about their work. We will also be enquiring about the future of the industry and what advice they would give to people considering a career in Big Data and Data Analytics, in light of the current Big Data skills gap in the UK.

This campaign will feed into the work of techUK's Big Data Skills Working Group, which will be looking at ways to reduce the Big Data skills gap.

A new techUK 'Big Data Hero' will be chosen every month, so if you would like to nominate a friend or colleague to be the next 'Big Data Hero' please dropJeremy Lilley a line with a bit of information about them!

August's Big Data Hero - Hal Bertram, CTO and Co-founder, Data Visualisation Expert, ITO World

Congratulations to August's techUK 'Big Data Hero' - Hal Bertram, CTO and Co-founder, Data Visualisation Expert, ITO World

Read on for a little taster and find the full interview below.

What is your current role and what are your responsibilities?

I lead the development of ITO’s data visualisation technology. With my team of software developers and visualisation experts, we are developing a range of products that transform complex data into striking and insightful visualisations.

What do you think the future holds for Big Data?

The Internet of things is an area of untapped potential. Connected devices are predicted to rise from 4.7 billion in 2014 to well over 50 billion by 2025. We are only just starting to explore how the wealth of data from these sensors can be utilised.

Big Data is shaping our understanding of how people move, how they commute to work across multiple modes of transport, how they plan their journeys and this information can be used to improve public transport, make cities smarter and transport systems more intelligent.

What needs to be done to inspire people to pursue careers in big data?

There is a lot of excitement, investment and growth within the industry so it is no surprise that there is an interest in pursuing this kind of career. Coming from film and animation myself, I think we need to recognise the diversity of skills in the sector and the possibilities the future could hold.

I believe there are roles that are yet to be created. You really have the potentially to make a significant contribution to the world and we need to be showcasing this more in order to inspire more people to take this path.

Hal gave more detailed answers to these and other questions which you can read by clicking below.HAL BERTRAM, CTO AND CO-FOUNDER, DATA VISUALISATION EXPERT... (PDF)