What makes Data Science different? A discussion involving Statistics2.0 and Computational Sciences

Christophe Ley, Stéphane P. A. Bordas

Abstract: Data Science is today one of the main buzzwords, be it in business, industrial or academic settings. Machine learning, experimental design, data-driven modelling are all, undoubtedly, rising disciplines if one goes by the soaring number of research papers and patents appearing each year. The prospect of becoming a “Data Scientist” appeals to many. A discussion panel organised as part of the European Data Science Conference (European Association for Data Science (EuADS)) https://euads.org/edsc/ asked the question: “What makes Data Science different?” In this paper, we give our own, personal and multi-faceted view on this question, from a Statistics and an Engineering perspective. In particular, we compare Data Science to Statistics and discuss the connection between Data Science and Computational Sciences.