The amount of data produced in the world grows exponentially and roughly 90 percent of all data available today was created in the last two years. Or, put another way: Every two days we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003. To describe this data explosion a new term has been coined: “Big Data”.
Big Data has transformed itself from being a buzzword, understood by few, to a recognized research area and business driver. The sheer data volume means that traditional technology and analytic methods just cannot keep up. New technologies have been developed to allow us to make sense of the data. Companies that have understood the importance of Big Data and have had the capacity to analyze and make use of the data are among the most successful companies in the world. But what about society? How can Big Data improve our society?
This seminar will focus on how we, as a society, could move forward and make use of the new possibilities based on the experiences gained from the commercial usage of Big Data. In addition it will also briefly discuss the scientific advances that has made Big Data possible and highlight some of the potential challenges. A few eye-opening examples on how Big Data can be and has been used will also be presented.