Tags: data analysis, data science, douglas twisselmann, Netflix Caitlyn Jordan | The Observer Douglas Twisselmann, expert in Data Science at Netflix, spoke on Wednesday in Little Theatre at Saint Mary’s.Saint Mary’s hosted senior data scientist Douglas Twisselmann on Wednesday night in Little Moreau Theatre. Twisselmann is a member of the science and algorithms group at Netflix and works with the branch dealing with the media content Netflix provides for its viewers. Twisselmann’s talk focused on Netflix’s goals of identifying characteristics of an “ideal” content library, predicting demand for content that Netflix does not have and divining the next Netflix original series.Twisselmann works with the Netflix content team to license, purchase and develop the movies and television shows that will be featured on the streaming service. Netflix has more than 60 million viewers across more than 40 different countries, and it falls to the content team to predict the material viewers want to watch and create a content library to fit that criteria.“We always want to keep the viewers happy,” Twisselmann said.All aspects of data science are modeled around consumer science testing, which allows Netflix to have personalized content libraries for all of its viewers, Twisselmann said. Netflix does not base its suggested libraries based on gender or age but on the content that one watches, Twisselmann said. This way, Netflix can send users personal updates and messages about one’s favorite shows or potential options that they may enjoy, Twisselmann said.“With a lot of our content acquisition, because we tend to buy for long periods of time, we’re less concerned if someone is going to watch it tomorrow; we’re more interested, on average, who is going to watch it,” Twisselmann said.“Our home pages are very personalized based on what people watch,” Twisselmann said. “We’re one of the few companies that doesn’t ask background information. If we don’t know a lot about the individuals, then we can’t make assumptions about them.”When looking for content to add to a Netflix library, the data scientists have to determine what the ideal consumer catalog would look like, the span of the content and the depth of the content, Twisselmann said. The content cannot be too repetitive and it must be worth the cost, Twisselmann said. He said the value of each potential program is not based on revenue but the number of viewers and how much the viewers want to watch over a certain period of time.The key to predicting is to analyze data categories such as how well the program did in the theaters, what the program was rated, the time since it has been released and the actors and actresses performing in it, Twisselmann said. To be able to do so quickly, Netflix has created a linear predictive system called “The Crystal Ball,” based on a simple y=mx+b formula, Twisselmann said.“It’s pretty straightforward in actually doing it,” said Twisselmann. “It’s interpreting [the data], that’s the hard part.”Netflix’s goal is to eventually perfect the system to work globally, Twisselmann said.There a certain culture attributed to Netflix — one that involves freedom, hard work and high performance.“I love working there,” Twisselmann said. “It’s a culture with freedom and responsibility — freedom to do what’s right and the responsibility to do what we know is right.”With all of that freedom, there is a certain level of standard within the company, as well, Twisselmann said.“We spend most of our time in meetings to make sure everybody is in line and on the same page, and then we go off and do our own thing,” Twisselmann said. “However, we have a high performance culture where trying isn’t good enough — it is very demanding.”Twisselmann encouraged students to consider data science as a career.“Everybody’s hiring in data science — Netflix, Facebook, Google, Yelp! — you name it,” Twisselmann said. “It’s a young business.” read more

Sign up for our COVID-19 newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest coronavirus news throughout New York With a Dallas hospital’s safety protocols under intense scrutiny for its handling of a now-deceased Ebola patient’s treatment, lawmakers are calling on New York State health officials to immediately develop a comprehensive plan for the deadly virus.The state Senate health committee is planning to hold hearings on whether the health care system is prepared for Ebola. Lawmakers also urged the state Department of Health to assess its preparedness and issue a report on its findings within a month. Upon receiving suggestions, members of the state Senate and Assembly would then determine how much money to allocate for the state’s response.“The recent events in Dallas have called into question the extent to whether a health care system that is supposed to be prepared to handle an individual can actually handle that individual,” state Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City), chair of the senate health committee, said Wednesday during a news conference at Nassau University Medical Center. He said his biggest concern is a lack of publicly available information regarding the state’s preparedness. Hannon is seeking public assurances that a detailed plan is in place even though likelihood the disease being widespread in New York is “slim,” he said.Among the issues they would like to see studied is whether a single New York hospital can be federally designated as a biohazard location with a special isolation unit capable of treating such infectious diseases as Ebola. Currently, there are only four in the country; the closest is in Bethesda, Md.State Senate co-leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) said hearings would help determine whether the state is “truly prepared” to detect and treat potential Ebola patients. Unclear is how many people would make up the committee, when hearings would begin and how much it would cost to implement recommendations.Hannon suggested that any funds allocated to the state’s response should come out of the billions the state has received from major settlements with financial institutions such as the $16.5 billion deal with Bank of America, of which $800 million was allocated to New York.Also of interest is if state health officials have conducted a case-by-case review of each emergency room, hospital and clinic in the state.“Is there a checklist?” Hannon asked rhetorically.Nassau University Medical Center workers model personal protective equipment that they would wear if they had to treat an Ebola patient. (Rashed Mian/Long Island Press)The senator expressed disappointment that upon scrutinizing the state health department’s website for a step-by-step protocol on infectious diseases, he was diverted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. He contrasted this with the World Health Organization’s site which he said contained a “detailed list of what needs to be done in terms of prevention and treatment.”The state health department said in a statement through a spokesperson that it’s working with federal and local partners to “ensure that New York is prepared to care for a patient with Ebola should the need arise, and that health care providers and the public alike are protected.”“DOH continues to work with and provide guidance to hospitals as they identify and train staff who would care for patients; identify areas in the hospital where patients would be cared for; provide staff with personal protective equipment (PPE) and conduct ongoing training in its use; conduct drills and exercises to ensure that health care workers do not contaminate themselves and that they correctly don and remove PPE,” the statement continued. “Hospitals currently have supplies of personal protective equipment and DOH has additional stockpiles to dispatch to hospitals if needed.”Treating the virus and preventing others—especially first responders and health care workers—from becoming infected has become a priority across the country.The Dallas hospital that treated Thomas Eric Duncan, who lost his battle to the disease last week, has been criticized for allowing Duncan to leave following his initial visit to the hospital, and its handling of his case afterward. Two nurses who helped treat Duncan have tested positive for the virus. In the most recent case, officials said the 29-year-old nurse who helped treat Duncan was diagnosed one day after traveling by plane from Ohio to Texas.One of the largest nurse unions in the country released a statement on its site alleging that upon Duncan’s second visit to the hospital that he was left for several hours in an area with other patients, instead of being isolated.“No one knew what the protocols were or were able to verify what kind of personal protective equipment should be worn and there was no training,” the union, National Nurses United wrote. The union said the account came from registered nurses familiar with “what occurred at the hospital.”“There was no advance preparedness on what to do with the patient, there was no protocol, there was no system,” the union alleged. “The nurses were asked to call the Infectious Disease Department. The Infectious Disease Department did not have clear policies to provide either.”Dr. Victor Politi, CEO of NUMC, stressed during the press conference that the hospital is doing all it can to train its workers, even going as far as setting up “mock patients” at random hours to see how the staff reacts.Politi said he has ordered 100 additional personal protective suits as a precaution. The suits will be placed throughout the hospital, he said.Jerry Laricchiuta, president of Nassau’s Civil Service Employees Association, which represents 3,500 NUMC workers, said that his members are “nervous.” He also expressed concerned that their treatment of potential Ebola patients can cause them to be “tomorrow’s victims.” Still, he noted that they’re “professionals” and are prepared to step in when needed.The state’s readiness review would also include protocols for identification of patient, patient transportation, isolation, staff allocation, personal protective equipment, clinical management, environmental cleaning, waste management, burial, laboratory requirements and other precautions, Hannon said.Suffolk County also held a meeting Wednesday with public officials regarding infectious disease protocols. read more