What Is PlayML?
Question: When’s the last time Machine Learning (ML) directly influenced your behaviour? Answer: At least 10 times today so far.
Data science concepts are being used to affect every aspect of our lives, from the articles you get recommended on Medium, to the prices you’re shown for a taxi, and even which breakfast cereal is on offer in the super market. In 10 years time, data science will be involved in every human decision.
…but it can be difficult to understand. Sometimes it’s impossible to see how a model arrives at its result, and we have to trust it blindly. Sometimes a problem can’t be understood because it’s too complex. We wanted to fix that.
Introducing PlayML
play-ml.datasparq.ai is a website where curious people can play around and experiment with the most cutting edge data science techniques. Challenging problems are visualised, made interactive, and broken down into basic statistics.
We want tough concepts, such as delivery route optimisation, to seem intuitive, so that people from all backgrounds feel confident when deciding to use data science to solve a problem.
We’re not just trying to teach statistics, we’re explaining real world problems and and real solutions that we’ve built ourselves. The techniques shown in PlayML have real proven value and are being used by the world’s leading companies right now!
Here are some of our best notebooks to get started:
1. Supply Chain - Queueing Model
This notebook simulates the supply chain of a pizza factory. Scenarios like these suffer from complexity and unpredictability. How do we prevent bottlenecks and ensure we’re producing as much as possible?
2. Dynamic Pricing - Taxi Company
Ever been shocked to see the price of a taxi shoot up during rush hour? This notebook explores how the supply and demand of taxis can be balanced by adjusting the price in real-time and the algorithms used to optimise it.
3. Vehicle Routing
How does a delivery company optimise their routes to minimise cost and get you your package sooner? It’s an increasingly complex problem, with an ever increasing number of variables. We’ve come up with an approach that beats commercially available software.
Try it out here! Or watch the video, where two of our top Data Scientists talk through the problem.
Help us Spread the Word
We want everyone to have insight into the algorithms and techniques in use all around them. If you like our content, please share it!
