As part of the Master’s Programme in Information Systems, students enrolled in the mandatory course Business Intelligence are diving deep into the world of data-driven decision-making. The course introduces a wide spectrum of BI concepts – spanning technologies, applications and processes that enable organisations to gather, store, access and analyse data effectively. Senior Lecturer and Course Director Blerim Emruli leads students through a mix of lectures, seminars and case studies while doctoral student Sowdambika Baskaran runs the computer labs and leads the group project.
One highlight of the course is the group project, in which teams of three students work with data from Inside Airbnb, a platform that aggregates publicly available Airbnb listings. Each group selects a city and defines a problem to address, leveraging the Inside Airbnb dataset and any additional sources they choose to integrate. The project results in a presentation and a written report.
We recently spoke with two of the groups whose projects showed particular finesse.
Gunnþóra Mist Björnsdóttir, Bianca Ryan and Anneke de Weerd
The group including Gunnþóra Mist Björnsdóttir, Bianca Ryan and Anneke de Weerd wrote the report "Integrating Airbnb Data with Urban Transport Networks in Copenhagen: Strategic Insights for Municipality, Hosts and Guests".
Tell us about the group project. What were some interesting aspects of the assignment?
“Coincidentally, we were randomly grouped, two of us were already familiar before the project started, and in the end, we all became great friends and are now part of the same friend group in the master's programme. I think the friendship created a fantastic foundation for the project's success, and an important factor was that all of us had complementary skill sets that made a fierce team and a good mindset, allowing us to go beyond the project description, just because it would be fun.“ – Gunnþóra Mist Björnsdóttir
“I genuinely enjoyed working on this project. It was something new for me, and it pushed me to challenge myself positively. I liked that we could decide how much detail we wanted to explore as a group. It was very rewarding to see the final result grow from raw data into clear, well-structured sheets.“ – Bianca Ryan
“One of the most rewarding parts of this project was seeing the full journey, from raw data to a clear final result. Understanding how each step shaped the bigger picture gave me a real sense of accomplishment. [...] Looking at our result now, I’m proud of what we built – and right alongside that, our biggest accomplishment was making friends. The most special moment, though, was realising what Information Systems truly means: people working together. Our team brought diverse perspectives – business, tech, creativity, analytics. Seeing those differences unite toward one goal showed me the heart of Information Systems: collaboration between people, ideas and technology.“ – Anneke de Weerd
Which role did you take on within the group?
“I played a senior role, leveraging 7 years of prior experience to quickly identify what to focus on and recommend for data cleaning. I also tried to envision the end product and the stakeholder story we were telling, supported by our lecture material. While Anneke worked on the data, Bianca and I proceeded with the analysis. I was organising our sheets regarding our stakeholders while Bianca was reviewing the design part of our lecture material.“ – Gunnþóra Mist Björnsdóttir
“Our greatest strength was definitely our group dynamic. The group was randomised and none of us really knew each other before, yet we showed each other a lot of respect and really brought out the best in one another (and became great friends). Together with Mist, I focused mainly on analysis, while Anneke handled much of the data. Still, we all contributed to different parts along the way.“ – Bianca Ryan
“My role focused on data retrieval, preparation and cleaning, making sure the dataset was reliable and ready for analysis. I also
contributed to the dashboard design, aiming for visuals that communicated insights clearly.“ – Anneke de Weerd
How do you imagine the group project will help you in your future career?
“I have had a past career as a statistician and data analyst, and I plan to step back from directly doing BI projects. However, the skill of gathering and presenting data quickly is valuable across all sectors, so I will never leave it altogether. The highlight of this project, which I am very proud of, compared to other projects I have worked on, is that I can share this report as part of my portfolio, as other professional projects I have worked on are all confidential.“ – Gunnþóra Mist Björnsdóttir
“I can absolutely see how this group project will support me in my future career. I learned how to work with data in a structured and reliable way, which is essential in many roles today. Before this course, I had limited experience with tools like Qlik, so learning to explore and understand data visually was a key skill I can now bring into real work situations, whether it’s analysis, reporting, or supporting decisions. This project definitely made me feel more comfortable with data-driven work!“ – Bianca Ryan
“As a software engineer, I usually approach projects very technically. I was the most technical person in the group and this project and my amazing collaborators, Bianca and Mist, helped me grow beyond that. Working with Qlik introduced me to the business and analytics perspective, especially how data is explored, visualised and supports stakeholders' decision-making. But I also learned how to communicate technical aspects as Data Load Scripts in Qlik by focusing on insights and purpose, not coding details. This strengthened my ability to bridge technical and business thinking, a skill I’ll definitely carry forward when working with stakeholders or data teams in the future.“ – Anneke de Weerd
Konstantinos Kokkalis, Emmanuel Lavoie Néron and Rasmus Oléhn
The group consisting of Konstantinos Kokkalis, Emmanuel Lavoie Néron and Rasmus Oléhn wrote the report "Airbnb Montréal Case – Qlik".
What motivated your group to choose the specific city and problem you focused on?
“We selected this city because it offered a strategically interesting analytical challenge. Instead of choosing an overly-studied, high-profile tourist destination, we focused on a city that is less saturated with existing research but still exhibits strong tourism activity, especially in terms of Airbnb growth and short-term rentals. The datasets were complex enough to test our analytical capabilities, requiring thoughtful cleaning, integration, and interpretation. This combination: a non-obvious market, rich but challenging datasets, and real business relevance, motivated us to explore a problem where meaningful insights could truly add value.“ – Konstantinos Kokkalis
“We selected Montréal, Québec because its size, diversity, and rich open datasets offered strong analytical potential. Since I’m originally from a nearby city, I was also able to support the group by translating materials and providing local context, which helped us work more efficiently. The combination of data availability and personal familiarity made Montréal an engaging and meaningful choice for our project.“ – Emmanuel Lavoie Néron
“We chose our city because we thought it could offer a different kind of value. There was less available data compared to more tourist-heavy cities, which made the analysis more challenging but also more interesting. It gave us the chance to work with a dataset that wasn’t heavily explored and to find insights that felt more unique and meaningful.“ – Rasmus Oléhn
In which academic and professional areas have you grown the most from this project?
“This project strengthened key competencies relevant to BI and data-driven decision-making. I improved my data engineering skills by cleaning, transforming, and integrating real-world datasets, ensuring reliable data pipelines. I also enhanced my analytical problem-solving ability by translating an urban tourism challenge into actionable KPIs and extracting insights for strategic decisions. Building dashboards helped me communicate findings clearly through strong storytelling and user-focused design. Collaborating in a cross-functional team improved my coordination and communication, while studying Airbnb pricing and tourism patterns expanded my domain knowledge. Overall, the project boosted both my technical and strategic capabilities, enabling me to deliver impactful insights.“ – Konstantinos Kokkalis
“It wasn't really new for myself, but I have learnt how to work a new app. Although the analytical process wasn’t entirely new to me, I gained valuable experience working with a new application. I had previously completed similar projects using Tableau during my Bachelor’s studies and Power BI at work, so this project helped me broaden my technical toolkit. The main growth came from adapting my existing skills to a new environment and understanding how different BI tools shape data exploration and storytelling.“ – Emmanuel Lavoie Néron
“The project strengthened both my analytical and collaborative skills. I improved my ability to structure data, build dashboards, and communicate insights clearly. Working in a group also taught me how to use different strengths and work more efficiently with BI tools. It also gave me a clearer view of how BI is used in practice to create insights and value, which has sparked a strong interest for me in the Business Intelligence area.“ – Rasmus Oléhn
What are your thoughts on the process and results of obtaining a Qlik certificate through the Qlik Academic Programme?
“Other than the practical experience from the course, I think it’s great that we can obtain something as valuable as the Qlik certificate. It adds an extra benefit and gives us something extra useful to bring into future work.“ – Rasmus Oléhn
