"Big data" has been around for a few years now but for every hundred people talking about it there’s probably only one actually doing it. As a result Big Data has become the preferred vehicle for inflated expectations and misguided strategy.
As always, language holds the key and the seed of the issue is reflected in the expression itself. "Big Data" is not so much about a quality of the data or the tools to mine it, it’s about a new approach to product, policy or business strategy design. And that’s way harder and trickier to implement than any new technology stack.
In this talk I look at where Big Data is going, what are the real opportunities, limitations and dangers and what can we do to stop talking about it and start doing it today.
89. And that’s because the
biggest innovation in Big
Data is a human innovation
90. An innovation in
decision-making: framing,
solving and actioning a
problem
91. “Data is just like crude. It’s
valuable, but if unrefined it
cannot really be used. It has to
be changed into gas, plastic,
chemicals, etc., to create a
valuable entity that drives
profitable activity; so must data
be broken down, analyzed for it
to have value” Michael Palmer
92. The opportunity in Big Data
is data middleware: turning
crude into gas, plastic,
chemicals
93. But until we invent the new plastic, the new gas, the new chemicals, we
are stuck with the smokescreen. Or even the smoke monster.