When we talk about Big Data, many of the
examples and use cases we share center around how Big Data is changing
the way businesses must operate. But Big Data is changing the world on
some exciting global levels as well. So let’s take a step back from the
business impact of bigger data and check out some of the exciting ways
Big Data is changing our lives.
1. Big Data loves the Earth – Combatting Deforestation
Environmentalists
and policy makers can monitor, almost in real-time, the status of
forests around the globe with the help of satellite imagery. Tools like
the Global Forest Watch, which was launched in 2014, uses
high-resolution NASA satellite imagery processed through Google, to
analyze over 700,000 satellite images. High resolution maps show annual
forest cover change since 200 to assist environmentalists and government
organizations to monitor deforestation in “near-real time.”
2. Will it Rain or Shine? Predicting the Weather
Scientists
leverage Big Data technologies to predict weather to prevent disasters,
save assets, and take precautionary measures. Research organizations
and weather companies such as Basho’s Riak NoSQL, use 13 data centers to
capture 2.2 million weather data points from all over the globe four
times per hour.
The Weather Company,
which already monitors over 20 terabytes of data per day to create some
of the most accurate forecasts, is integrating this new technology to
bring weather predictions to a whole new level.
3. Growing More Crops to Feed the World in 2050
By
2050, the world’s population is expected to reach 9.2 billion people,
34% higher than it is today. To enhance crop production, farmers are
using precision technology, a concept that collects real-time data on
weather, soil and air quality, crop maturity, and equipment and labor
costs, to develop predictive analytics used to make smarter decisions.
One
study found that farmers using only one type of precision technologies
increased their yield by 16% and cut down water use by 50%. Another
example given by IBM is the use of sensors placed throughout the fields
to measure temperature and humidity, which when coupled with predictive
weather modeling, helps farmers make proactive decisions on when to
water or fertilize.
4. How to Avoid the Flu with Big Data
Big
Data is used in the health industry for numerous applications – from
monitoring wearable data to detect early signs of Parkinson’s disease,
to fighting the Ebola crisis, or predicting outbreaks of infectious
disease.
IBM recently released a
great infographic showing how Big Data can help contain global outbreaks
of dengue fever and malaria. With dengue fever having spread to over
100 counties and malaria causing 1 million deaths annually, this Big
Data application is saving lives.
Researchers
can also predict infectious disease outbreaks such as the flu by using
modeling developed from data gathered through mobile, social media, and
other public web data. One study by the MIDAS research group analyzed
page view histories of disease-related Wikipedia pages in 7 languages to
forecast the number of people who may become sick in 4 weeks.
5. Smarter Education in the Classroom
Every
26 seconds, a student in America drops out of high school, which is
7,000 a day. To combat the failing education system, education
technology companies are chomping at the bit to leverage their Big Data
technologies to make learning more effective.
Knewton
is an adaptive platform that collects real-time data based on students'
learning habits. They recently received $105 million in funding to
enable smarter learning that's tailored to the ways in which students
learn best. The company also recently partnered with Mifflin Harcourt
and Gutenberg Technology to create smarter digital textbooks that adapt
to individual student in real time. The technology assesses students as
they solve problems and can adjust the difficulty of the remaining
problems as needed.
Big Data is
changing the world in new and exciting ways. Please share your
real-world examples of how Big Data is impacting our daily lives.
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