The rise of data science is briefly described in a Forbes article published in 2013 (Press, 2013), which traces the timeline for the evolution of the term “Data Science” and its use, by listing the major publications, activities and conferences from 1962 to 2012.
By 2009, the world has reached a technological maturity level in terms of the critical mass of people with social network accounts, and the exponential rise in the use of mobile devices to support every other aspect of our lives. Massive amounts of data are created every second, and data analytics has become the next big thing which cannot be ignored. McKinsey has predicted that “By 2018, the US alone could face a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 people with deep analytical skills as well as 1.5 million managers and analysts with the know-how to use the analysis of big data to make effective decisions” (McKinsey, 2011). It represents an unprecedented need and opportunity for universities around the world to start to offer bachelor and master degree programs to train data analytics professionals.