How can big data make Rotterdam the smartest port in the world? Can insight from data improve the punctuality of public transport? VisionWorks’ BI and analytics experts are constantly investigating how they can use the power of data to help their customers move forward. “An extraordinarily exciting challenge,” says Jochen Van de Voorde. In 2016, Jochen swapped his job as an Oracle developer for that of big data expert at VisionWorks. Today he’s also the competence lead in big data – his hobbyhorse.
Jochen obtained his university degree almost 20 years ago, when almost no one had heard of big data. And certainly not in his field of study: philosophy. Or was it? “Actually, I specialised in cognitive science and neural networks. So there was a link with data,” he admits. “For my master’s thesis, I also studied the impact of computer science on the social interaction between people with autism. So it’s always been there, that interest in data and IT.”