This Halloween week, our team dived into exploring a fresh batch of data we received, ensuring it’s in the right format and safe to open. We worked together to check data quality, structure, and format, aligning everything for smooth processing. We also considered privacy and security practices, making sure to handle the data responsibly. The Feature Engineering Team took charge of initial exploratory data analysis (EDA) and began brainstorming potential new features, working closely with our liaison engineer, who provided valuable feedback on feasibility and alignment with our project goals. This guidance helped us start shaping a more refined approach to feature engineering as we move forward.

The Model Engineering Team focused on extending our ensemble model, finishing the integration of the remaining models, and running tests with GPU acceleration to boost performance. These adjustments helped ensure that our model is optimized for speed and accuracy, setting us up to handle the new data effectively. The team was pleased to see initial test runs going smoothly, and we look forward to further fine-tuning in the coming weeks.

Looking ahead, our next steps are to incorporate the feedback from our recent PDR presentation and work together on upcoming Prototype Inspection Day and System Level Design Review documents. Subteam goals include continued EDA and implementation of feature engineering on the new dataset by the Feature Engineering Team, while the Model Engineering Team will focus on benchmarking our current model’s performance with the latest data. Additionally, our liaison engineers will continue to review our feature engineering ideas and provide critical feedback to make sure we’re aligned with the project’s bigger objectives.

That wraps up this week’s update! Have a fun and safe Halloween, and stay tuned for more progress as we continue enhancing our Verifone project. 👻