Analytics, Education and Science, Estonia, Technology

Timo Sulg.

The young specialist deals with data mining which, according to Timo, is not quite well developed in Estonia. Data mining is analysis of large set of data using various algorithms and models to find concrete trends or patterns. That data can be used in various fields – for buyers' habits analysis, and making various kinds of forecasts. For example, going through purchases made in Selver stores during one month, it is possible to detect what people prefer on certain days and the product selection can be designed accordingly. Banks can easily offer new loan products if they use data mining. Insurance companies can use it to analyze actuarial data.

"I want to create a practical analytical platform that can be used not only by big corporations but also small companies and individuals so that useful information could be extracted from a large set of data," says Sulg, who has already submitted his business idea to the StartITup! competition organized by Tehnopol and Tartu Science Park and currently develops it with a group of other people.

Currently Timo works for Finnish company HRM, analyzing the movements and motivation of the employees.

"I look for patterns. I get the algorithms ready and let them go to work on the data, while drinking coffee," he says.

He has also viewed changes in the price of crude oil on the world market, but says he has not yet uncovered anything surprising about the future.

However, he is ready to predict the results of the spring 2011 elections in Estonia as well. It is a separate question as to what data to feed the algorithms – last elections' results, level of political activity in parliament or something else? The more variables, the more reliable the emerging patterns will be.

Timo says that his clients in the future need not be people but other computers, as the analysis of the data could take place automatically.