iTTi Gloss: Big Data

Big data is high-volume, high-velocity and high-variety information assets that demand cost-effective, innovative forms of information processing for enhanced insight and decision making.

From Gartner. “IT Glossary”.

“Big data” refers to datasets whose size is beyond the ability of typical database software tools to capture, store, manage, and analyze.

From McKinsey Global Institute  “Big data: The next frontier for innovation, competition, and productivity”. 

“... big data refers to data sets that are too large or too fast-changing to be analyzed using traditional relational or multidimensional database techniques or commonly used software tools to capture, manage and process the data at a reasonable elapsed time.”

From ISACA “Big Data: Impacts and Benefits”.

(May require registration)

Where do so many data come from? They come from date harvesters about humans or digital activities -credit cards, mobile devices, computers, cameras on the street or buildings, and so on-, also data that produced by machines working in our environment such as sensors, or from logs of automated processes.

What can we do with them? We have to face the challenges from these data floods in such a way that the their analysis results in useful knowledge for science, governments, business, and finally, to improve our wellbeing. Such analysis is often done 'profiling' something banned by the Spanish privacy law (LOPD).

Related perspective(-s): 

1.- "Big Data", ¿un nuevo concepto?

2.- iTTi Gloss: Social Business

3.- Uso de las redes sociales en la empresa: riesgos de seguridad