Data Platform Modernization: Transforming Research Analytics with Real-Time Data Processing

Data Engineering

Challenge

A research analytics and data company faced significant limitations with their existing data infrastructure. With thousands of diverse data sources to manage, they needed to gain deeper insights from collected data, implement robust enrichment processes, and create a seamless workflow for developers to interact with the data platform efficiently.

Our Approach

We transformed their data architecture from batch processing to real-time ingestion and enrichment, using Lambda architecture with both speed and batch layers. This approach quickly published records while maintaining data quality through periodic cleaning. We improved operational efficiency by enabling pipeline configuration via Slack and stored data in an analytics-optimized database for high-performance queries.

Results

The modernized data platform delivered remarkable improvements across multiple dimensions. Stakeholders gained the ability to query newly collected data almost immediately, dramatically accelerating iteration cycles on data collection and significantly improving both the breadth and depth of data quality. Operational efficiency increased substantially, with the team reducing operations time by 80%. Perhaps most notably, data usage increased dramatically as all stakeholders could easily access fresh, reliable data effectively, driving greater insights and decision-making capabilities throughout the organization.

Future Plans

Building on this successful foundation, we’re expanding the platform’s capabilities in several directions. We’re implementing support for non-Latin writing systems to enhance global data coverage. Additionally, we’re developing functionality to extract full text from PDFs, providing even more accurate search capabilities and better supporting analytics products. A key initiative involves building citation graphs and other network visualizations, enabling the creation of innovative features in the company’s analytics products.

Team Expertise

8 specialists with expertise in data processing, data science, data collection, analytics, search, and visualization.