Data Science for a Good Cause
written by Thu - Trang Ho
It’s a great honour for Scout24 to contribute to the initiative Data Science for Social Good Berlin (DSSG). During the datathon the data scientists spent their time using their skills to support Berliner Tafel e.V. and Borderstep. We sat down with our Scout Romain Thibault, Data Engineering Manager, to talk about why we joined this event and what people can expect from Scout24 in regards to Data Science.
1. What motivated Scout24 to support Data Science for Social Good’s datathon?
Romain: DSSG and Scout24 share an essential mandate: we want to use technology and data to better serve people. Just like dozens of other initiatives, this datathon also offered Scout24 employees an opportunity to directly give back to the community using their skills and experience.
2. Who is in charge of data topics at Scout24?
Romain: Beyond the topical approach, data drivenness is one of four core values that everyone lives by at Scout24. Our data strategy is driven by a unified team, where data experts — architects, product owners, scientists, engineers, analysts — all work closely together. Fun fact: that team is quite appropriately called DNA, as in Data & Analytics. It’s in our genes.
3. What about Data Science in particular?
Romain: Our data scientists play an essential part in bridging the gap between the latest trends in technology and the pragmatic needs of a company like Scout24. They’re able to channel innovation directly into our products, day in and day out, and they make it look easy!
4. What kind of innovation are we talking about?
Romain: Meta-learning, real-time computing, enterprise AIs, big data… There’s a long list of buzz words if you consider technology for the sake of it. Once again, the true power of data stems from its relation to people. As an example, our scientists were the ones who initiated the DataLab, where all employees can pitch and vote on original data projects. Just like with the datathon, the real innovation was to bring the right people together.
Romain is also looking for a Data Engineer to join his team. Check out the job offer here.
Picture credit: Matteo Guzzo
