A group of professional and research associations have announced plans to develop a set of standards for data science.
BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT has announced the move, saying it will work on the initiative with the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), the Operational Research Society (ORS), the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the Royal Society and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA).
It said they are aiming to fill a gap of there being no professional framework in the field of data science, and will work with universities to ensure that educational programmes deliver the right skills.
They will start on standards for existing academic qualifications then move to current professional standards. These will cover ethical and professional issues to give the public confidence in how their data is used.
The move follows recommendations in the Royal Society’s 2019 report, Dynamics of data science skills, that data science should be developed as a profession.
Rebecca George, president of the BCS, said: “People are increasingly aware of data and how it is being used. As BCS president, I’m very encouraged by this collaboration to develop data science as a profession.
“Data is a key part of our daily lives and we must ensure those using are working ethically and to the highest standards.”
Image from BCS
