In exploring the HEI (higher education institute) financial health and safety data published in the Times Higher of 18 March 2010, we find some very interesting underlying patterns in the data. These patterns point to an interesting contrast involving diametrically opposite orientations of HEIs in the UK. This polarity goes considerably beyond the usual one of research-led elite versus more teaching-oriented new universities. Instead we point to the role of medical/bioscience research income in the former, and economic sectoral niche player roles in the latter.

In Murtagh (2010) resulting from the Sixth Annual Boole Lecture (organized by the Boole Centre for Research in Informatics, http://www.bcri.ucc.ie) in2008, we show how information focusing is carried out in data analysis, i.e. determining where the data is put under the analytic microscope. One issue addressed is coverage and completeness of research funding in technological sector domains. Another issue addressed is evolution of funding decisions over time. We show how the narrative of science and engineering policy - the story that policy decisions have to tell - can be mapped out from the raw data. The orientation of such narrative is crucial.

In this present work, we discuss this data analysis approach, Correspondence Analysis, and its role as an aid in decision support.

References:

F. Murtagh, The Correspondence Analysis platform for uncovering deep structure in data and information, Sixth Annual Boole Lecture in Informatics, Computer Journal, 53 (3), 304-315, 2010.

F. Murtagh, The Correspondence Analysis platform for uncovering deep structure in data and information, preprint, British Classification Society, http://thames.cs.rhul.ac.uk/bcs, 2010.

Keywords: Correspondence analysis; Data analysis; Data mining; Computer learning

Biography: Director, ICT and Energy Programmes, Science Foundation Ireland. Professor of Computer Science in the University of London. Member, Royal Irish Academy. Member, Academia Europaea. Member, International Statistical Institute. Fellow, International Association for Pattern Recognition. Fellow, Royal Statistical Society. Fellow, British Computer Society. Fellow, Royal Society of Arts. PhD, Université P&M Curie, Paris 6. Habilitation, Université de Strasbourg. BA, BAI, MSc in (respectively) Mathematics, Engineering Science, Computer Science from Trinity College Dublin.