SeeClickFix just hosted a Kaggle competition to predict which 311 issues are most

important to citizens. Kaggle, an online platform that hosts data analytics competitions, offers

a place for companies to post their data online and present a challenge to solve. Kaggle’s

community of more than 100,000 data scientists browse these company competitions and mine

data to try and produce the best model in order to win.

So, what exactly makes these data scientists so special? Software Advice, a website that

reviews business intelligence tools, analyzed the top 100 Kaggle prize-winners to get a better

understanding of what these data gurus have in common. Below are some of the top findings.

Time in school and performance in data competitions have a direct correlation. More than 80

percent of the top 100 performers on Kaggle have a Master’s degree or higher.

Computer science and mathematics are the main areas of study by the top Kaggle performers.

However, engineering, econometrics and statistics were close behind. While most of these

areas of study complement a career in data analytics, a few surprising programs surfaced, such

as philosophy and law. The idea being that the characteristics and skills needed to excel as a

data scientist aren’t necessarily tied to a specific background.



The See, Click, Predict, Fix competition had 313 teams competing for a chance to

make a positive social change in the world (and gain some extra cash!).

And the winners are...

• José A. Guerrero - Sevilla, Spain, with this model approach and code

• Bryan Gregory - Fort Worth, USA  and
• Miroslaw Horbal - Waterloo, Canada, with this model approach and code

• James Petterson - Sydney, Australia, with this model approach and code 

• Anqi W. - Troy, NY, USA, for Views by Source. East

• Ran Locar - Tel Aviv, Israel, for Who Works When?