20160615_creme global_what is expert model_cronan mcnamara

ExpertModels

An Overview of

Expert Models

www.expertmodels.com

Table of Contents

What is Expert Models?

The Interface of Expert Models

The End User of Expert Models

Why the Cloud

Getting up and Running

Your Brand and Expert Models

The Future of Expert Models


What is Expert Models?

Expert Models is a web platform that hosts data sets, data analytics and data science

models online. Expert Models makes it easy to collaborate with your team, clients

and other stakeholders by controlling permissions and wrapping your analytics

programs and data sets in beautifully designed user interfaces.

The Interface of Expert Models

Default features

Secure user accounts, access control and permission system are key features of an

online system. The default Expert Models setup consists of an advanced file

management system including data sharing (similar to Google Drive) but designed

specifically for data science. File organisation is an essential workflow to get right

for anyone working with data.

The File Management System


Secondly, Expert Models has a data editor. This can be thought of as simplified

version of Excel, but with features useful for working with the type of large datasets

used by models. Data table types can defined to ensure data is correct at entry,

rather than runtime.

The Editor


Data analysis and graphing tools are built in and available on all data sets.

Graphing In The Editor

We found these features to be a necessary core of a good data science experience

online.

Customisations

When a customer wishes to add their models or data programs to Expert Models

they may want different types of interface. Examples include:

a. One page models - input and output on the same page.

b. Two page models - input and output on different pages

c. Multi-step models (wizards)

d. API’s

e. Scheduling

f. Dashboards

g. Emails

Furthermore some customers may not need the ability to save results with the file

management system or the ability open tables with the editor. These features can


be hidden if the user just needs a simple input to output flow.

Example input form for a model


The End User of Expert Models

The Excel user

Excel still dominates the workflow of Data Analysts. As well as Excel being used for

its obvious function of working with data, Excel is also the primary go to software

for creating mini-programs that perform some repeatable action. These programs

can include models, data-cleaners, connectors and other variations. All these types

of program are better implemented in Expert Models. Excel has major downsides

that are increasingly becoming unacceptable in a configured world. A recent IBM

report focused on just this issue:

“A number of studies have been made concerning the frequency of errors in

spreadsheets. Based on these, it seems that 90 percent of all sheets contain at least

one error.”

These errors can be avoided when a program is built within a workflow that

includes data validation and programmatic error checking mechanisms. Building

models in Python inside Expert Models will inherently clean up errors.

Scripting data import from your various data sources in these Python blocks, inside

the platform, also has the double effect of allowing you understand and audit the

import process and remove this repetitive task.

The modeller

Most models are not online and do not live beyond contributing to a report. These

models can offer great value if made available to other audiences. One of the

reasons this has not happened already is that Modellers, while they may have

advanced modelling skills, are not web programmers. Expert Models allow

Modellers host their models within a web interface without having to learn web

programming / system administration, or engage in a long expensive development

project.


We work with Modellers to publish their models online in an interface we agree is

appropriate. The Modeller can then open these models up to new audiences.

Why the Cloud

Data scientists and Analysts have much to benefit from cloud innovations. Here are

some of the immediate benefits of moving to cloud:

Performance

Expert Models is built on top of Amazon Web Servers, the same stack that runs

Netflix, AirBnB, Slack, Adobe and is used by NASA. As well as best in class security

Amazon gives incredible scalability that can be automated for user load, added to

this we have built proprietary technology to scale for the sort of processing load

required by data models. Our base configuration have 30GB of RAM on four cores,

so models run lightning fast.

Reproducibility

The cloud allows safe and cheap backups of data related to model runs. On desktop

the user has a risk of losing data, running out of space or simply a bad workflow or

policy around saving data. For Expert Models we thought a lot about the different

scenarios where a user would want to keep complete copies of inputs, outputs, code

and seed data for a particular run.

Collaboration

The cloud immediately makes collaboration an obvious step. Expert Models

provides a shared folder where users can put assets they wish their team to have

access to. Deploy your analytics in user-friendly interfaces to anyone through a web

browser.


Accessibility

Securely access your full data science suite of applications including data sets,

analytics and code from anywhere, all you need is a web browser.

Getting up and Running

Experience has told us that all customers will need some kind of support and

sometimes customisation to their solution that goes beyond the default Expert

Models setup. For this reason we do not only provide a turn-key solution like CRM

packages where the problems are already very well defined.

We also provide a team of experts who will work with you to understand your

problem, then we help you get your models and data into Expert Models before

handing over logins.

Are you interested in trying a demo account? If so, please contact us for logins.

Your Brand and Expert Models

If you wish to add your own branding to the Expert Models platform or partner on

providing a white labelled Expert Models service to your customers, partners or

stakeholders this is easily done. Our interface has been intentionally built with

neutral template so that your brand and colours can be added in to complement the

aesthetic.


Expert Models instances can be branded for you or your client

The Future of Expert Models

Expert Models is a great platform, but we are only getting started. We have big

plans for future development and features. Features will follow certain principles:

● Expanding the use of great models by providing a simple entry point on the

web

● Improving and extending the workflow of Modellers

● Getting great analytics into production so that everyone can benefit

● Helping Decision makers access insight through data and models

Some capabilities we see congruent with these principles are:


● Simple creation and customization of models and interfaces

● Great code editing experience on the web

● Scheduling execution of operations, which can for example email the latest

data to you every morning

● Total reproducibility with foolproof versioning built in (for data and code)

● Extensible permissions system to cover all use cases

● Improved collaboration (centralised project management and activity

tracking)

● Email & dashboard automation

Contact Details

Website www.expertmodels.com

Email [email protected]

Phone +353 1 677 0071

Twitter @expertmodels


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