Corey Hermanson and Perfecting Deep Web Technologies

How does someone go from being an aspiring sports writer to having the job title “Data Acquisition Engineer”? Although it seems unconventional, this path has paid dividends for one of our experts on Deep Web technologies, Corey Hermanson.

Born and raised in the Minnesota, Corey has always called the upper midwest his home. After graduating high school, Corey attended Augustana (College) University majoring in journalism and finance.

After interning for his local paper in Brainerd, Corey quickly realized that the sports writing work schedule of 3:00 pm – midnight wasn’t exactly ideal for him. However, a major aspect of journalism stuck with him–curiosity. And our processes at BrightPlanet definitely piqued his curiosity.

Becoming Familiar with Open Source Intelligence Tools

Corey got connected with BrightPlanet after exploring our website. After seeing his analytical skills and ability to adapt, we hired him on as a Deep Web investigator.

Admittedly, our technologies and Deep Web terminology were a bit intimidating for Corey at first. Despite this anxiety, he buckled down and took Will’s advocacy of self-education seriously. So much so, that his job responsibilities continue to expand to this day.

After starting out in one of our entry-level positions, Corey now dabbles in a variety of data processes. If you ever apply for API key to access our data such as our Global News Data Feed, he is the one who will customize and guide you through the process. He also is responsible for the data visualizations that come along with these processes.

For our present projects, Corey creates the logic behind tagging new entities and properties within the text. If a client has a list of keywords that they want to be notified, he helps them create different lists and manages tagging them.

Corey enjoys familiarizing himself with the most advanced technology in the industry. One process that caught his eye is the utilization deep learning algorithms to interpret Big Data sets. He then uses these data sets and applies them to the curated documents we harvest.

The Strength in Our Data Team

Figuring out the best applications for any new process can be a challenge.

Despite this, Corey found mastery in our applications through mentorship from who he calls our “absolute genius developers.” As he began learning new data visualization techniques, writing scripts, learning programming languages, querying SQL, and manipulating our data base, Corey diligently worked under the guidance of our senior Data Acquisition Engineer team.

All in all, this allows him to relish the freedom our team has in trying out new technologies and processes. The company size is also allows us to avoid a cookie-cutter approach to managing client data.

A recent project that Corey has been a key-component in is our work with an agency in Canada. Ultimately, the project revolves around identifying companies that aren’t properly registering with the board or aren’t following the set guidelines.

This experience was rewarding in that it demonstrated to Corey the advantages BrightPlanet has with wide-open scale projects.

A Bright Future

When meeting with a new client, Corey first establishes guidelines. He addresses what questions the client wants answered through the semi-structured web content. Then he determines what KPIs (key performance indicators) we will use to determine the success of a project.

Establishing these parameters are crucial for success, because inevitably, we’re going to be harvesting hundreds of thousands of web pages and each of those pages. Addressing what works best for harvesting content and how we should tag your data will help us isolate the answer you’re looking for.

Two of the greatest values BrightPlanet holds as a company are curiosity and the constant pursuit of knowledge. We are fortunate enough to have someone who embodies those strengths like Corey. If you’re interested in our process or how our team can help you, tell us what you’re working on. We’ll work together with you to find the right, custom data solution for you and your business.