University of Tartu computer scientists make data science work for Ida-Viru businesses

At the University of Tartu’s Institute of Computer Science, the Data Systems Group, led by Associate Professor Radwa El Shawi, is helping companies tackle the growing challenges of data-driven decision-making by democratising artificial intelligence, making it accessible, explainable, and usable for non-experts.

The group develops AI-based tools that enable organisations, including those in Ida-Viru County, to integrate technology into their daily operations. These solutions aim to simplify data-driven planning and decision-making, making them more transparent and widely accessible.

This work is particularly critical as the demand for data analysis continues to rise across both private and public sectors, while the availability of specialised data science expertise remains limited. By creating user-friendly AI solutions, the team empowers companies to make informed decisions supported by technology, without requiring deep technical knowledge.

Data bring clarity and reduce guesswork

The backbone of Ida‑Viru County’s economy is the energy and industrial sector, which is characterised by volatility in market prices and ever‑tightening environmental regulations. The new tools enable companies to navigate this complex environment more effectively. For example, they help the companies

• forecast production and energy needs automatically and understand why those predictions make sense.

• compare planning options based on performance and environmental impact — and choose greener paths with confidence.

• cut weeks of trial and error and get instant recommendations when new data arrives.

• defend every decision with clear, audit-ready explanations for reports and stakeholders.

The same principle applies in other fields as well – logistics companies can optimise routes, manufacturers can manage supply chains, and local authorities can plan budgets.
The solutions created by the researchers serve the same purpose across different sectors: they help make smarter, data‑driven decisions that are easy to explain.

Artificial intelligence enables smarter planning and decision‑making

Using publicly available datasets (e.g., oil shale production) from Kaggle and OpenML, the team has demonstrated how artificial intelligence can forecast demand, guide production planning, and explain the reasoning behind each prediction in clear, audit‑ready terms.

These capabilities can give businesses in Ida‑Viru County a significant competitive advantage with minimal extra effort, as integrating the tools into existing workflows does not require programming skills or technical configuration. They also support sustainable planning by highlighting the environmental impacts associated with different choices.

How can companies in Ida-Viru County make artificial intelligence work for them?

The University of Tartu invites local companies and organisations to:

• test the tools in a pilot project. Suitable time‑series data includes sales, energy use, CO₂ emissions, and aggregated production data, recorded at regular intervals (hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly).

Pilots are conducted under clear evaluation protocols with predefined metrics, uncertainty estimates, and audit‑ready explanations, with no coding or complex setup required.

• co‑develop new solutions with our researchers to meet the region’s specific needs, focusing on transparent, explainable forecasting, sustainability‑aware planning, and risk‑aware decisions.

Associate Professor Radwa El Shawi’s research group is part of the Just Transition Fund joint research consortium in Ida‑Viru County, bringing together teams from Tallinn University of Technology and the University of Tartu to strengthen the region’s research capacity.

If you are interested in collaboration in the field of big data or machine-learning applications, please contact Morten Merila, Senior Specialist of Cooperation Development at the University of Tartu Institute of Computer Science ([email protected]).