The field of Data Science concerns techniques for extracting knowledge from diverse data, with a particular focus on ‘big’ data exhibiting ‘V’ attributes such as volume, velocity, variety, value and veracity. The field of data science is becoming increasingly influential in the public, private and voluntary sectors, with its overarching aim of increasing understanding of services, products and stakeholders in all areas of human activity. Techniques from data science are being developed and used in applied and interdisciplinary research across the biological, medical and physical sciences, the social sciences and the arts and humanities.