Elder Research is presenting a 2-day course, “Tools for Discovering Patterns in Data: Extracting Value from Tables, Text, and Links,” on September 22 - 23 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience, Dr. John Elder will explain techniques employed by experts to solve challenging problems.

This course surveys computer-intensive methods for inductive classification and estimation, drawn from Statistics, Machine Learning, and Data Mining. Dr. Elder will describe the key inner workings of leading algorithms, compare their merits, and (briefly) demonstrate their relative effectiveness on practical applications. We'll first review classical statistical techniques, both linear and nonparametric, then outline the ways in which these basic tools are modified and combined into powerful modern methods. The course emphasizes practical advice and focuses on the essential techniques of Resampling, Visualization, and Ensembles. Actual scientific and business examples will illustrate proven techniques employed by expert analysts. Along the way, major relative strengths and distinctive properties of the leading commercial software products for Data Mining will be discussed.