Meet Jorge Vargas: Keiter Technologies Data Solutions Engineer

Delivering data solutions that solve business challenges

Jorge Vargas has always had an interest in research and technology. This interest led him to receive his bachelor’s degree in psychology and his post-baccalaureate in computer science. Jorge began his career as a principal technologist where he learned about web application development and project management. He leverages both his education and experience in his current role as a Data Solutions Engineer with Keiter Technologies. Subhash Jaini, Keiter Data Technologies Director, asked Jorge to join the team in January 2022. The two had worked together previously and Subhash knew Jorge’s skillset would be an asset to Keiter.

To Jorge, providing excellent client service means catering to each client’s individual needs while saving them time and money. Often, a client will spend hours doing a task that can be automated for them. “I want to make sure the client is getting the value they are looking for instead of just trying to sell them the latest and greatest,” Jorge says.

Jorge’s dedication to client service results in trusted relationships and additional data projects. One client in the insurance industry continues to work with Jorge because of the solutions he has provided for them. For example, one of the client’s projects required a data solution for extracting key information from thousands of customer forms saved as pdf and html files in their system. Jorge created an app that scanned each report and extracted only the key customer data the client needed. The app then placed this information into a database for the client to access. Jorge stated, “This project was a massive task because of the number of reports stored in the client’s database. However, the client was incredibly happy with the app that I created for them.”

Machine learning: A new instrument for business innovation

A major component of Jorge’s role as a Data Solutions Engineer is machine learning. Machine learning is software based and includes artificial intelligence aimed at automating processes. Jorge believes that machine learning has the power to innovate the way people work. “Machine learning should be tools for humans that make life easier,” Jorge says. The field of machine learning is constantly developing and there is always something new to learn. Because of this, the work never remains static.

Natural language processing

Jorge created a machine learning model for a client that wanted to categorize thousands of resumes in their database. The model converted the text and categorized each resume based on the language in the document. The resumes were bucketed into three areas using a process known as natural language processing (NLP). NLP is a type of machine learning that gives computers the ability to understand text and spoken words which can be used to process and analyze large amounts of data.

Another project that leveraged Jorge’s machine learning expertise involved a client that wanted a model created to read lips. This device would benefit people who are able to move their mouth normally but are unable to speak. Jorge started out by creating a model using video data of volunteers speaking specific sentences collected by the client. The model would then predict which sentence the patient meant to say and relay that to the doctor.

Creating a viable model for this client was a monumental accomplishment. The client previously collaborated with a company that was unable to deliver the solution they needed. Jorge shared that after the project was complete the client received grant funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and presented the model at the Smithsonian. Jorge says, “It was very rewarding to provide a model that offers an alternative means of communication for health compromised individuals and in addition receive recognition from the science community along with securing a financial pipeline for the client.”

Read more about the Keiter Technologies team on our blog.