October 21, 2019 Now Companies May Quickly Scale Data Science and AI Programs with Topcoder’s New Capabilities

Topcoder, the world’s largest IT talent network and on-demand digital talent platform has expanded its Data Science and AI capability to help businesses quickly and expertly begin, build and scale their programs. Topcoder’s new capability is a direct response to global market needs. There are over 150,000 unfilled data science positions in the US alone, and CEOs around the world consistently identify a shortage in data science talent. Not surprisingly, Topcoder has experienced an over 200 percent increase in year-over-year data science projects on the Topcoder platform.

Topcoder’s New Data Science Offerings

Topcoder has added five new Data Science and AI capabilities focused on practical outcomes for business and research needs. Here is an overview of the offerings:

• Native GPU Support: Topcoder’s community of data scientists can contribute native GPU solutions that will be tested quickly, ranked on a public leaderboard and quality-assured through a peer review.

• Container-based Solution Evaluation System: Topcoder can work with any tools, API, cloud-native features or library with container support to reduce frictions in transfer, utilization, development, and testing of products and services.

• Multi-layer Privacy and Security: Topcoder offers a proprietary seven-layer security protocol to ensure the validity and protect the integrity of crowdsourced projects on-server and in-the-cloud.

• Contest Casting: Topcoder offers a new challenge API that allows customers to run development contests on the Topcoder platform or on their own systems, increasing workforce capabilities and providing restriction controls when necessary.

• Crowd-Powered Consulting: Topcoder offers access to a customized team of top global data science talent, including on-site analysts, architects or scientists as-needed, for short- and long-term projects that can adjust as project needs change.

Read the full press release here

Topcoder’s New Capabilities in Action

Here are some recent projects Topcoder has completed, along with the results, using its new Data Science and AI features.

1. Fast Results with an Ad-Hoc Workforce

Anadarko, a leading energy company in the field of independent upstream oil and natural gas, worked with Topcoder and Wipro to access Data Science and AI capability through its Analytics Center of Excellence. “We now have access to an ad hoc worker population and can turn it on and off in a way that adds value, without disrupting our company’s overhead,” said Jose Silva, Emerging Technologies Manager at Anadarko, in a recent Forbes article. The center allowed Anadarko to begin projects immediately, avoid employee procurement and turnover, and run more than 318 crowdsourcing competitions resulting in a 20x return on investment (ROI) rate. Check out this Forbes post to learn more about the project.

2. Helping with Cancer Treatment

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Cancer Center teamed up with Topcoder to use AI to develop algorithms to help automate tumor delineation—the science of defining treatment field borders for tumors. Thirty-four contestants competed over a 10-week time period, reviewing almost 78,000 images. There were 45 algorithms submitted and the top five were awarded prizes totaling $55,000. The results were deemed as good as assessments from oncologists. To learn more about Topcoder and Harvard Medical School check out this post.

3. Geospatial Mapping Support

The open innovation project SpaceNet, a nonprofit partnership led by the In-Q-Tel CosmicQ Works lab, works with Topcoder to leverage AI to find complex mapping solutions to assist in disaster recovery and optics in places where the mapping isn’t commercialized or profit-driven. SpaceNet and Topcoder develop algorithms relating to geospatial mapping that could prove useful downstream in disaster relief and non-commercialized mapping. The algorithms also help SpaceNet make breakthroughs in the space of advanced vision algorithms. Check out this podcast to learn more about Topcoder and SpaceNet.

Every Company Needs a Program

Ninety-one percent of 700 global CXO executives surveyed recently by Forbes Insights say AI will help them outpace their rivals. Every company will need to develop a Data Science and AI strategy, and Topcoder talent is on hand, on-demand to support these new program needs during this talent drought. Topcoder offers high-quality results, access to top-notch global talent on-demand, data and process security, and reduced project times. More information is available online and through our ebook, “Enterprise Data Science and Analytics.”