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
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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
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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
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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
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be hidden if the user just needs a simple input to output flow.
Example input form for a model
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
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● 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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