The 2021 International Conference on Big Data Analysis and Applications was held at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) from 25th to 27th June and was organised by Nottingham University Business School China (NUBS China). This event attracted more than 100 professors, scholars and doctoral students from 25+ universities, including Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, University of Science and Technology of China, Rutgers University, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, as well as several industry experts from Baidu, iFLYTEK, JOYIN TECH and LineZone Data to participate.
The conference began with welcome addresses from Professor Patrick Chau, Vice Provost for Research and Knowledge Exchange, and Professor Alain Chong, Dean of Graduate School and Global Engagement. They warmly welcomed guests and introduced UNNC's recent developments.
Afterwards, four academic keynote speeches on the frontiers of big data were delivered. Professor Aoying Zhou, Vice President of East China Normal University, gave the first keynote speech titled Data Empowers City for Digital Transformation, in which he systematically discussed the definition of data energisation and proposed a theoretical vision and practical approach to redefine a smart city based on data energisation.
The second keynote speech was entitled Human and Social Nature in Algorithms and was delivered by Professor Hui Xiong from Rutgers University Business School, which bridged the connections between the fundamental principle and properties of algorithms and nature in Chinese culture, such as that found in the I-Ching and Daoism.
Professor Dacheng Tao from JD Explore Academy delivered the third keynote speech entitled Re-building Trust in Deep Learning. He pointed out that deep learning is sweeping across almost all sectors of our society and the public's confidence in deep learning algorithms have been undermined due to several negative events such as fatal on-road disasters and shocking discrimination scandals. Then he presented his perspective, theory and practice in re-building trust in deep learning accordingly.
The fourth keynote speech – Subgraph Matching: Past and Present – was given by Professor Xuemin Lin, a UNSW Distinguished Professor, in which he focused on subgraph matching and covered solutions for single computer, as well as distributed solutions.
In order to put the theory of "applying academic theory into industry" into practice, this academic conference also featured a special sharing session with industry experts, involving different applications in various industries. Dr Henshu Zhu, Head of Talent Intelligence Centre from Baidu, shared the practices and applications of big data and artificial intelligence in human resource management, especially in intelligent recruitment and talent turnover early warning systems. Mr Chengmi He, Vice President of Joyintech Ltd., shared practical big data applications in asset management, where GPU computing, robotics, knowledge mapping, and semantic analysis are used to empower the financial business. Dr Chang Tan, Vice President of iFLYTEK Big Data Research Institute, shared big data applications in the field of intelligent transportation. Dr Can Chen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of LineZone Data, shared big data applications in supply chain management, especially in the garment industry.
The conference also featured a number of informal panel discussion sessions, with in-depth discussions and exchanges on collaboration between academia and industry, doctoral teaching, and research collaboration. The participating experts, scholars and doctoral students from various universities shared their teaching and research experiences and looked for collaboration opportunities.
The success of the International Conference on Big Data Analysis and Applications demonstrated the high quality of NUBS China's academic research and teaching environment, as well as the elegance and professionalism of young scholars from NUBS China. This event also gained praise from experts and scholars outside the university.