Greg Skibiski
Encyclopedia
Gregory Roman Skibiski is an American entrepreneur
. Skibiski is the founder and former Chairman
& CEO of Sense Networks
, a New York City
based company focused on analyzing big data
from mobile phone
s and carrier networks. Skibiski is named lead inventor on three patent application
s for analyzing emerging sensor
data streams from mobile phones, culminating in the Macrosense and Citysense http://www.citysense.com/ products.
Citysense was named by ReadWriteWeb
(in The New York Times) as "Top 10 Internet of Things Products of 2009".
(Head of Human Dynamics
Research at the MIT Media Lab
) with the idea that large amounts of location data being collected by mobile phones and GPS devices could be useful to economists. Technology to do that analysis did not exist at the time.
Skibiski's original theory was that analyzing large amounts of location data from mobile phones and vehicles would provide value to the financial services and retail industries, enabling "an entirely new business model for location-based services" based on monetizing macro trends in spending and sentiment. For retailers, information ranging from where else its customers shop to how far people travel to get to its stores. Like Web analysis tools, determining where customers were immediately prior to entering the business—a real-world "referring site" kind of concept.
It became apparent that trends in how far shoppers are willing to travel to get to a store like Macy's, Saks or Nordstrom could indicate monthly trends in that store's sales. People who worked in the financial district would to go to work early when the market was booming, but later when it was down. Plotting San Francisco nightlife patterns on the same graph as the Dow showed that, just before the market peak in July 2008, urban partygoers hit the town at later-than-ever times. Beginning mid-2006 Skibiski's firm used location data to operate a trading portfolio.
Skibiski was pushed out by lead investor Intel Capital in November 2009 shortly after closing the company's B round of financing, in the same week the company was named one of "The 25 Most Intriguing Startups in the World" by Bloomberg Businessweek and won the Emerging Communications Conference "Company to Watch" Award.
Originally from Northampton, Massachusetts
, Skibiski attended the Williston Northampton School
from 1985 through 1991. He received his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering
from Bucknell University
in 1996 and his MBA from HEC Paris in 2006. Skibiski was also one of the first employees at BackWeb Technologies, a Tel Aviv
based internet infrastructure software company.
from The MIT Media Lab. “The idea behind the New Deal on Data is based on Old English Common Law saying you have the right to possess something, use it and dispose of it. "So if you’re a company and you're keeping their location data, the end user should own it and have a say over whether it should be destroyed.”
The New Deal on Data also provides for the aggregate, anonymous
use of location data for the public good
, such as predicting Tuberculosis
outbreaks in Africa. “If you can find and identify an outbreak just one week earlier, you’re saving thousands of lives.”
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
. Skibiski is the founder and former Chairman
Chairman of the Board
The Chairman of the Board is a seat of office in an organization, especially of corporations.Chairman of the Board may also refer to:*Chairman of the Board , a 1998 film*Chairmen of the Board , a 1970s American soul music group...
& CEO of Sense Networks
Sense Networks
Sense Networks is a New York City based company with a focus on applications that analyze big data from mobile phones, carrier networks, and taxicabs, particularly by using machine learning technology to make sense of large amounts of location data.In 2009, Sense was named one of "The 25 Most...
, a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
based company focused on analyzing big data
Big data
Big data are datasets that grow so large that they become awkward to work with using on-hand database management tools. Difficulties include capture, storage, search, sharing, analytics, and visualizing...
from mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s and carrier networks. Skibiski is named lead inventor on three patent application
Patent application
A patent application is a request pending at a patent office for the grant of a patent for the invention described and claimed by that application. An application consists of a description of the invention , together with official forms and correspondence relating to the application...
s for analyzing emerging sensor
Sensor
A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument. For example, a mercury-in-glass thermometer converts the measured temperature into expansion and contraction of a liquid which can be read on a calibrated...
data streams from mobile phones, culminating in the Macrosense and Citysense http://www.citysense.com/ products.
Citysense was named by ReadWriteWeb
ReadWriteWeb
ReadWriteWeb is a Web technology blog launched in 2003. RWW covers Web 2.0 and Web technology in general, and provides industry news, reviews, and analysis. Founded by Richard MacManus, Technorati ranked ReadWriteWeb at number 12 in its list of top 100 blogs worldwide, as of October 9, 2010. RWW...
(in The New York Times) as "Top 10 Internet of Things Products of 2009".
Life and career
The idea for Citysense started in 2006 when Skibiski approached Alex "Sandy" PentlandAlex Pentland
Alex Pentland is the Toshiba Professor at MIT, a serial , and is one of the most cited . Pentland obtained his Ph.D. from MIT in 1981, was Lecturer at Stanford University in both computer science and psychology, and joined the MIT faculty in 1986, where he became Academic Head of the Media...
(Head of Human Dynamics
Human dynamics
Human dynamics is a new branch of complex systems research in statistical physics. Its main goal is to apply the powerful conceptual toolbox developed by Physicists to study the natural world to the study of human behavior. Research in this area started to gain momentum in 2005 after the...
Research at the MIT Media Lab
MIT Media Lab
The MIT Media Lab is a laboratory of MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Devoted to research projects at the convergence of design, multimedia and technology, the Media Lab has been widely popularized since the 1990s by business and technology publications such as Wired and Red Herring for a...
) with the idea that large amounts of location data being collected by mobile phones and GPS devices could be useful to economists. Technology to do that analysis did not exist at the time.
Skibiski's original theory was that analyzing large amounts of location data from mobile phones and vehicles would provide value to the financial services and retail industries, enabling "an entirely new business model for location-based services" based on monetizing macro trends in spending and sentiment. For retailers, information ranging from where else its customers shop to how far people travel to get to its stores. Like Web analysis tools, determining where customers were immediately prior to entering the business—a real-world "referring site" kind of concept.
It became apparent that trends in how far shoppers are willing to travel to get to a store like Macy's, Saks or Nordstrom could indicate monthly trends in that store's sales. People who worked in the financial district would to go to work early when the market was booming, but later when it was down. Plotting San Francisco nightlife patterns on the same graph as the Dow showed that, just before the market peak in July 2008, urban partygoers hit the town at later-than-ever times. Beginning mid-2006 Skibiski's firm used location data to operate a trading portfolio.
Skibiski was pushed out by lead investor Intel Capital in November 2009 shortly after closing the company's B round of financing, in the same week the company was named one of "The 25 Most Intriguing Startups in the World" by Bloomberg Businessweek and won the Emerging Communications Conference "Company to Watch" Award.
Originally from Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
, Skibiski attended the Williston Northampton School
Williston Northampton School
The Williston Northampton School, or "Williston," is a private co-educational preparatory school for boarding and day students in seventh grade through postgraduate year located in Easthampton, Massachusetts. The campus offers a range of extra-curricular activities in the arts and athletics...
from 1985 through 1991. He received his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
from Bucknell University
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a private liberal arts university located alongside the West Branch Susquehanna River in the rolling countryside of Central Pennsylvania in the town of Lewisburg, 30 miles southeast of Williamsport and 60 miles north of Harrisburg. The university consists of the College of...
in 1996 and his MBA from HEC Paris in 2006. Skibiski was also one of the first employees at BackWeb Technologies, a Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
based internet infrastructure software company.
Privacy and data ownership
Although there have been doubts as to its practicality, Skibiski has been an advocate for the New Deal on Data, as created and evangelized by Alex "Sandy" PentlandAlex Pentland
Alex Pentland is the Toshiba Professor at MIT, a serial , and is one of the most cited . Pentland obtained his Ph.D. from MIT in 1981, was Lecturer at Stanford University in both computer science and psychology, and joined the MIT faculty in 1986, where he became Academic Head of the Media...
from The MIT Media Lab. “The idea behind the New Deal on Data is based on Old English Common Law saying you have the right to possess something, use it and dispose of it. "So if you’re a company and you're keeping their location data, the end user should own it and have a say over whether it should be destroyed.”
The New Deal on Data also provides for the aggregate, anonymous
Anonymity
Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
use of location data for the public good
Public good
In economics, a public good is a good that is non-rival and non-excludable. Non-rivalry means that consumption of the good by one individual does not reduce availability of the good for consumption by others; and non-excludability means that no one can be effectively excluded from using the good...
, such as predicting Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
outbreaks in Africa. “If you can find and identify an outbreak just one week earlier, you’re saving thousands of lives.”
Further reading
- Bollier, David. The Promise and Peril of Big Data Eighteenth Annual Aspen Institute Roundtable on Information Technology, Aspen, Colorado, 2010. ISBN 0-89843-516-1
- Paparella, Maureen & Simko, Eugene. "Current Topics in Technology", 15 June 2009. Textbook. ISBN 1439038708