A Data Science Trivium

Although data science is a quintessentially twenty-first-century activity, to define good data science, we can find inspiration from a Roman architect and engineer who lived two thousand years ago. Vitruvius is immortalized through his book About Architecture, which inspired Leonardo Da Vinci to draw his famous Vitruvian man. Vitruvius wrote that an ideal building must exhibit three qualities: utilitas, firmitas, and venustas, or usefulness, soundness, and aesthetics.

Figure 2.1: The principles of good data science

Buildings must have utility so they can be used for their intended purpose. A house needs to be functional and comfortable; a theatre needs to be designed so that everybody can see the stage. Each type of building has its functional requirements. Secondly, buildings must be sound in that they are firm enough to withstand the forces that act upon them. Finally, buildings need to be aesthetic. In the words of Vitruvius, buildings need to...