Author: Abdulbasit Muhammed-Jamiu, Data Science Intern
My Year in Industry Experience at Indeximate
I joined Indeximate on a Year-in Industry placement as a Data Science Intern ready to take on the world. Going into the placement, I expected to improve my technical skills, gain insight into the data analytics industry, and see for myself what the world of data science had to offer. However, the experience has taught me much more than just programming and data analysis.
One of the biggest differences between university coursework and industry work, was the collaborative environment. At university, most assignments were completed individually with limited group work, but during my placement I worked closely with team members on a project being designed from the ground up for real customers. This experience helped me better understand the importance of collaboration and teamwork. I have had the privilege of working with fantastic team members who guided me on new topics and introduced me to successfully navigating technical blocks, such as handling noisy signal data etc.
Developing valuable skills
The main project I worked on was the development of an algorithm that estimates ocean wave properties such as height, speed, and direction, from Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) data. DAS inherently turns a fibre-optic cable into thousands of virtual sensors, each separated by a short distance along the cable. These sensors pick up strains along the cable, which can be recorded to generate an enormous amount of raw data. My work involved applying significant signal processing techniques to convert the raw signals, utilising frequency filtering methods to eliminate background noises and limit potential bias. While working on this project, I improved my problem-solving skills and learned new data processing techniques such as data visualisation, time-series analysis, denoising datasets and many more. One key lesson was that noisy data can still tell a compelling story when properly filtered and analysed.
The results of this wave height monitoring project were later showcased to customers at major industry events, including the WindEurope Conference. We received incredibly positive feedback from industry professionals who were eager to know more on how DAS could be integrated into their platforms to improve safety and reduce the carbon footprint of wind farm operations. Numerous leading operators in offshore wind showed significant interest in our ability to provide real-time wave height estimates alongside cable health packages. It was incredibly rewarding to see work I had contributed to being recognised by industry professionals and potential clients.
When I started at Indeximate, this end goal was just a concept. Over the past year, with the help of my colleagues, we have been able to move into a product demonstration phase. It feels exhilarating knowing that the work I contributed to will soon give operators capabilities to streamline operations and better ensure worker safety.
Benefits for my future career
Looking back, this placement year has been one of the most valuable experiences of my academic journey so far. In addition to the technical knowledge I gained, the experience improved my confidence, communication, and ability to work within a professional team. Although I still have much more to learn and improve on, I can confidently say this year has strengthened my passion for data science, and I cannot wait to return to the industry after completing my final year at university.
A view from Indeximate
“Abdul was dropped somewhat in the deep end with this work. He started with an idea that was just a concept, and had to overcome a number of difficulties to get a working prototype of a system together. I very much appreciate how he managed to do what was required, even with some, at times, very tight deadlines. I think this was a valuable experience for Abdul, and think it was also a very interesting project to be involved in. Perhaps the best thing was seeing the interest customers have expressed in the demonstration videos we have been showing at conferences. It really was an eye-opener for people to see DAS data being used in this way. Overall, I think the internship has been a great experience for both Abdul and Indeximate.”
Dr Alastair Godfrey, Director
