Blog 2 - What Is Big Data?

What is Big Data?

Big Data is a type of information generated by computers due to the progressions made in computer technologies in conjunction with the widespread use of the internet.  Companies such as Google and Amazon gather loads and loads of personal information about their users and then use that information as they see fit.  Remember the solar eclipse?  Citizen scientists used their computers to submit data about the behavior of animals during the eclipse and big data was used to advance science. 

Sometimes, it’s used to make money; however, once the data has been gathered, it can be used for a myriad of different purposes.  Users must agree to their information being stored by Google before they can sign up for an email address or a cloud storage account.  And that is why it can be stored away forever – because you agreed to it.   Companies such as Amazon use big data to personalize ads, hoping to make more money. 

Big Data is collected through a dead or live routine.  A live routine is when someone is there actively collecting the information.  A dead routine is when information is gathered by an automated system.

A lot of us live our lives and frequently use the internet.  Our use of the internet generates data about us such as our age, race, sex and plenty of other information, that is acquired, legally, by various entities.  Telecommunications companies store records of your telephone conversations and sell them to the government for millions, each year.   Google stores your personal information and uses it to personalize advertisements.  Data generated by companies and agencies can be as complex as what you are likely to do while surfing the internet and even include what would be considered an anomalous action for you to do while surfing the internet.  Huge amounts of data are being generated constantly because of the internet and we can and are doing a tremendous number of things with it.

Yandex.traffic

One big data project is yandex.traffic.  It is discussed in the article, “10 Cool Big Data Projects,” found on the kasper sky lab daily website.  The yandex.traffic big data project collects and analyzes information from different sources and shows a real time traffic conditions map of a city.  This is a big data project that can help me, personally. I hate being in traffic jams; and, in some cities they’re unavoidable.  Moscow, San Francisco, and Atlanta residents are no strangers to traffic jams.  I’m from New York City and through this technology, I will be able to navigate through the city, while avoiding traffic jams. The service works by sharing data with users of Yandex.traffic and voila, they are able to navigate the city and avoid traffic jams.

Implications

As this yandex.traffic service progresses, technologically, humans will be happier while in transit through the city; and, yandex.traffic won’t just make transit better in one city.  It will make transit better globally and locally.  Years from now, we will look back on the humble beginnings of Yandex.traffic and affirm that it has grown to be something much larger.  Yandex.traffic is adding more and more cities and one day will be all over the world.

Concerns with respect for privacy and abuse of data

Technology has turned into something that people can abuse; so, there are often concerns with entities being in charge of big data. Companies like Google have lots of information they’ve acquired from their users; but, Yandex.traffic is different.  It doesn’t ask for personal information, so the abuse of data is limited and there is plenty of privacy.

There are concerns with the availability of big data.  There is something that has arisen called the “new deal” of big data.  It is the notion that personal information should not belong to agencies like Yahoo or Google.  The “new deal” notion is an idea circulating that in the future, the availability of personal information should be at the discretion of the person to whom the data refers.  One idea is that a personal data folder could be shared or kept private, allowing or barring an entity permission to review that data.  The three tenets of the “new deal” on data are that an individual has rights to possess, use and dispose of their data.  The “new deal” is a breath of fresh air for all of us.