🏗️ Datalake technology as a platform for Research Driven Product Development

April 24, 2018

By Ted Steinmann

Program: M.S. in Management of Technology, University of Minnesota
Occasion: Capstone Final Presentation
Date: April 24, 2018

Presented as part of my M.S. in Management of Technology capstone at the University of Minnesota, this talk outlined a strategy for using data lake technology to support research-driven product development. I discussed how platforms like FAIR and the World Factbook of Food can evolve through incremental innovation, leveraging modern data infrastructure, lean methodologies, and strategic partnerships to transform research insights into scalable digital products.

🔍 Key Concepts

  • Incremental Innovation
    A "lily pad" strategy for building platform-aligned products gradually, using Lean Startup principles and modular funding models.

  • Data Lake as Infrastructure
    Enables flexible data collection, analysis, and exchange — serving as the technological foundation for multiple new products.

  • Strategic Fit and Roadmapping
    Use of scoring models and phase gate development to prioritize initiatives like FAIR, Factbook, FRAME, and food traceability tools.

🧠 Methodology

  • Literature review, stakeholder interviews, and strategic technology analysis
  • Normative forecasting for long-term planning
  • Emphasis on product-market alignment and platform utility

🏗 Outcomes and Recommendations

  • Invest in core data infrastructure (FAIR, Factbook)
  • Advance skills and partnerships for machine learning, IoT, and traceability
  • Host hackathons and use crowd-driven analysis to validate prototypes
  • Leverage strategic foresight to support sustainable innovation

🔗 Technologies and Trends Highlighted

  • Cloud computing, sensors, machine learning, AI, blockchain
  • Food safety policies and public trust
  • Population and market shifts (e.g., Gen Z, B2C startups)
  • Applications for federal grant alignment and commercialization pathways

📄 Download: datalake-technology-as-a-platform-for-research-driven-product-development.pdf

Categories: presentations

Tags: products, innovation, research, technology, strategy, data