Abstract:

[Objective] While data science can handle a large amount of data and solve a lot of problems, it is changing the models of scientific research, enterprise operation, and social governance. Owing to the difficulty in data science engineering, it is necessary to establish a data engineering discipline to convert the data assets and their intrinsic value to effective services, decision making, and data products to enabledigital economy. [Methods] This paper introduces the idea of engineering, extends the concept of narrow data engineering to broad data engineering, discusses the necessity of establishing the discipline of data engineering, and analyzes the characteristics of the data engineering knowledge based on data material basis by referring to the characteristics of the civil engineering discipline and its construction. This paper presents the concept, theoretical basis, research content, research framework, and main technical system of the data engineering discipline, and illustrates the necessity of establishing a new methodology of data engineering through two data engineering application cases. [Conclusions] The data engineering discipline is of a unique knowledge system based on data matters and special research methods that integrate mathematics, electronics, information science, computer science, data science, and some other disciplines. The material, theoretical, technical, and demand basis for data engineering construction have been established. It is urgent to establish a data engineering support to transform data assets into engineering applications to enable the digital economy.

Key words: narrow data engineering, generalized data engineering, Data Engineering Discipline, data science, the digital economy