Communications can provide insights into poverty, so
studying communications patterns can be helpful for designing development
policies and programmes. That’s just one point emerging from a study at Harvard
University’s Engineering Social Systems programme which is looking into ‘big data’,
the new buzz word in academia, government, development and media circles.
And they are not alone. Academics from New York University
and the University of New South Wales have published a series of ‘provocations’ to spark discussion about access to data and how it is used. “Will
large-scale analysis of DNA help cure diseases? Or will it usher in a new wave
of medical inequality?”
The United Nations has launched the project Global Pulse, which aims to evaluate masses of data in order to generate early warning signals about developmental challenges, ranging from crop failures to social discontent that can trigger civil conflict.
The United Nations has launched the project Global Pulse, which aims to evaluate masses of data in order to generate early warning signals about developmental challenges, ranging from crop failures to social discontent that can trigger civil conflict.
Big business is also hot on the trail. Mckinsey & Co.
have published a paper on ‘the next frontier of data’. Of note, they don’t define big data by the
size, since what is big today will be manageable before long: “big data refers
to datasets whose size is beyond the ability of typical database software tools
to capture, store, manage and analyze”. With the benefits of exploiting such data
predicted to exceed $300 billion to the US health sector annually, it is no
wonder McKinsey is taking interest.
Ultimately it is all about you and me. Big data reflects the
increasing capacity to track our every move, especially online. From spending
patterns and vacation histories, to web browsing and more, the interests and
habits of the greater public have never before been so well documented. It is
opening a big opportunity for planners and policymakers, as well as marketers,
strategists and also those who would exploit the information for less agreeable
purposes – legal or otherwise. It is thus important and potentially very
valuable that legislators and regulators both support open access to data for
legitimate research, but also necessary to protect personal privacy, safeguard
the integrity of data and set standards on its collection and the application
of findings.
Further reading of interest: Bloomberg Business Week, on the
dangers of insufficient information.
Publisher Tim O’Reilly on Google+ reports on a recent discussion
of success factors, including the power of visualising data.
See also:
- 10 ways to report data better
- The 5 best free tools for making slick infographics
- Infographic insights
- Infographics need stories
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