What is Big Data, why is it important and how dangerous is it?
Big Data is driving many industries and impacting all of our lives. But is it more dangerous or more helpful?
Data is information, but that is only part of the story. A detail about an event or a fact about human health is not much to work with data. It is the collection, organization, and storage of information that we think of when we talk about data.
In the age of the Internet, companies and organizations around the world have collected so much data that we are now talking about things on an exponentially larger scale. Now there is big data, and it has a big impact on all of our lives.
What is Big Data?
Big Data is a data set so large that our traditional means of managing information are not up to the job. This collection can take many forms.
Examples for Big Data
- The tweets are stored on the servers of Twitter
- The information Google gets from tracking car trips
- A country's complete local and national election results going back as far as records were kept
- Which health insurers know who gets which treatments at which hospitals
- The types of purchases and locations that appear on credit cards
- What people watch on Netflix How Netflix knows exactly what you want to watch How Netflix knows exactly what you want to watch Netflix is the world's leading streaming service. It's built on a recipe of data and emotion, which means the company always knows what you want to watch. Read more when, where and for how long
What is Big Data technology?
Our PCs can manage quite a lot of data. Just imagine all the information you can write in a table. Database software is capable of handling even larger amounts of information. These tools can store data on a single hard drive that would otherwise require shelves of boxes full of notebooks and folders.
However, these tools are not sufficient to process all the volumes of information that we call Big Data. We have developed new methods for this. Cloud computing lightens the load Virtualization and cloud computing are not the same Virtualization and cloud computing are not the same Many people think that virtualization and cloud computing are one, but they are not. Here's the difference and how each can make your life easier. Read more from our PCs on Remote Servers. From there, there are many ways to access and use the information.
Remarkable use for Big Data
Big Data didn't come on its own. Several trends have fostered its existence.
Internet of things
The Internet you currently know is the Internet of people. Here, people interact with each other, with machines that facilitate this communication. You see websites that are designed by people. You read words that people have typed.
The Internet of Things is one in which devices communicate directly with each other without human involvement What is the Internet of Things and How Will It Affect Our Future . What is the Internet of Things and How Will It Affect Our Future? It seems like new buzzwords pop up and die off with each passing day, and "the Internet of Things" happens to be just one of the newer ideas that ... Read More. A device monitors the weather. A smart thermostat accesses that information and adjusts the temperature in your home.
Big Data and the Internet of Things are interdependent. These devices can perform actions independently based on the data available to them. The more devices that function in this way, the more data is generated.
Machine learning
Machine learning refers to a computer's ability to learn from data. It's how Pandora radio stations match your particular style. Machine learning is also behind content recommendations on YouTube and Netflix.
These predictions are based on algorithms. Google's search algorithm? The algorithm that determines what you see in Facebook's news feed? It's all machine learning at work.
These are just a few examples of how machine learning algorithms influence our everyday experiences.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the next step after machine learning. Here, a computer not only learns from data, but uses this information to make its own decisions and shape its own behavior.
Microsoft and Google have both made efforts to develop humanoid robots How intelligent software will change your life How intelligent software will change your life Skynet is coming and will be incredibly popular. New AI technologies are emerging that will change the way we live, play and work Read more. Facebook Uses Artificial Intelligence to Prevent Suicides Facebook Uses AI Now to Prevent Suicides Facebook Uses AI Now to Prevent Suicides Facebook is stepping up its efforts to help people with suicidal thoughts. And the social network is using artificial intelligence to identify people at risk. Read more . Technology is advancing at a rate where there have been several instances where a computer has outperformed a human. AIs win: 5 times when computers beat humans AIs win: 5 times when computers beat humans Artificial intelligence is getting good. In fact, computers are now beating the best and brightest minds humanity can offer. What does this mean for us? Read more .
What is Big Data Analytics?
Sources of Big Data tell us nothing. Someone has to understand all this information. That's what Big Data analytics is all about: looking at unfathomably large amounts of information and seeing what we can learn.
Today, more and more companies are launching new Big Data projects, and companies are competing to offer their particular form of Big Data analysis in many different areas. Through these actions, big data affects your life, even if you are a modern person. Luddite's Guide to Modern Technology Luddite's Guide to Modern Technology Modern technology is all-encompassing, invading every aspect of our lives. For the most part, it is brilliant. But how do we deal with technology when it becomes overwhelming? Read More .
Why do people do this? Because with the right insight, big data can do a lot of good.
The advantages of Big Data
People are racing to use Big Data to improve our lives. Here are some of the areas where Big Data is at work.
Big Data in Healthcare
The healthcare industry is not the fastest in adopting new technologies. Some providers are still migrating from paper to digital storage media. Still, there are areas where big data is making a difference. One is the area of integration. Insurers and providers are working to combine data from multiple sources, such as claims, x-rays, physician notes and prescriptions.
Many believe better integration of health data would enable better care at lower cost. When Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan announced earlier this year that they were collaborating on healthcare, they cited technology as their focus, according to The Guardian.
Big data in financing
The financial industry is all-in with the idea of making decisions based on computer analysis. Flash crashes on Wall Street are due to automated trading, where machines sell off quickly based on market action without human intervention. This is known as high-frequency trading.Jetzt verwenden Finanzdatenwissenschaftler Big Data, um vorherzusagen, welche Aktien erfolgreich sein werden und wann zukünftige Crashs wahrscheinlich auftreten werden. Banken sehen auch Big Data als eine Möglichkeit, ihre Einnahmen zu erhöhen.
Big Data in e-commerce and marketing
We generate a lot of information when we shop. In the store, credit cards and loyalty cards track every purchase we make. Some stores use cameras or even track our phones to see which part of the store holds our attention the longest. Online, we need to create accounts before we shop so that sites can track not only what we buy, but also which items we look at.
Stores base their layouts on consumer interest and behavior. Online sellers decide what we see based on demographic information and other metrics. Amazon's new brick-and-mortar stores are an example of the merging of the two worlds.
There is a huge demand for the kind of insights that come from monitoring our interests and online behavior. Facebook and Google are profitable technology giants because they can sell ads that are better targeted to specific customer groups than other advertising methods and platforms. They can do this thanks to all the information we provide when we use their services.
Is Big Data dangerous?
Big Data holds promise, but also risks 6 Reasons to Avoid Cloud Services and Keep Your Feet 6 Reasons to Avoid Cloud Services and Stay Grounded Thanks to services like Dropbox and Google Drive, we're giving up a lot more than we get when we use cloud storage. Here's a look at why you should be concerned. Read more . First is the erosion of privacy. More people know more about each of us than at any time in human history. It's not only easy to find where we live, but where we go, who we love, how we live, and what we think.
This makes individuals and societies open to manipulation. We can be tricked into giving up our passwords and credit card numbers or voting for candidates we wouldn't otherwise support How your data is collected and used on Facebook to win elections How your data is collected and used on Facebook to win elections Are you doing it when your Facebook data is harvested and manipulated to influence the course of international politics? Read More . More data gives advertisers and media companies more opportunities to shape our desires and values.
There is more data about us than before, and that data is stored in more places. That creates more targets for attack. It's no longer enough to protect our own machines. Data breaches now occur on a regular basis. What happens when our data is not in our control? How can you verify if your data was stolen in the Equifax breach? How to determine if your data was stolen in the Equifax breach, which affects up to 80 percent of all U.S. credit card users. Are you one of them? Here's how to check. Read more .
Even companies that do a decent job of protecting our data from outside attacks often do questionable things with that data themselves, as is the case with Facebook. More than half of Americans don't trust Facebook More than half of Americans don't trust Facebook in light of the Cambridge Analytica scandal people have lost trust in Facebook. So much so that less than half of Americans surveyed think Facebook would obey privacy laws. Read more .
Then there is the risk of people handling the information that they can predict with Big Data. Do we charge people with unhealthy eating habits more for health insurance? Should we increase policing in areas we predict will have more crime? Do we raise prices for online shoppers who live in affluent areas?
Finding ways to keep our data safe, respect our privacy, and preserve our values will be an ongoing challenge as the trend toward Big Data continues. But no matter how we feel about it, for better or worse, we all live in a world with big data.