For the second largest population in the world India’s scientific research input is abysmal to be honest. India filed less than 50,000 patents in the last couple years, whereas China filed more than a million and Japan filed more than 300,000 patents. There is much to do and a lot to achieve as far as the research infrastructure in India is concerned.
The digital India programme was definitely a start. Good news is that the financial allotment for the programme has been doubled in the union budget 2018. The ‘NITI Aayog’ programme is specifically designed for the augmentation and development of AI driven technology. A fair amount of emphasis is put on big data analysis. One may say that the Indian financial budget this year is in favour of the data analytics and data science industry – it recognizes the immense potential of the field and extends a supportive hand towards the industry.
The industry and the workforce
Big data analytics industry in India is in its teens at best. The better part of the market is yet to adapt data analytics. A lot of enterprises are yet to realize the potential of the data giant. The main problem however lies in the alleged inefficiency of the analytics workforce. Reports have it that the analytics ventures are not coming through as successful in many cases. The enterprisers are often losing money as well as confidence in the data driven system. The case might be that the workforce is failing to adapt to the Indian market. Any analytics initiative has to keep the market and the masses at the centre of its model. The tools and the technologies perhaps need customization to suit the Indian market which, in many ways, is different from the European or the American market.
The point is that the analytical models need to be adaptable to the market. The complete big data training institutes can have a great role to play in this regard.
Carving the perfect workforce
A lot of emphasis has already been put on data science education, but it is something that can only be perfected with experience and continuous exposure to the industry. The need of the hour is to create a training system that really prepares a professional for the challenges and teaches him how to maximize the profits. A well established analytics system can really help the country strive further in the global economy.
General Advancement
With more enthusiasts joining the AI and machine learning bandwagon we can expects more ground breaking advancements by the Indian data scientists. The industrial platform needs to be so strong that the candidates may have the courage to come forward and study this discipline. We are on the right path, it is the best time to join the march.