Information Please

by Zuo Dengji

The modern world has become overloaded with information. Most people now have unlimited data at the tips of their fingers throughout the day. As the unprecedented access to data changes the way we live our lives， many havent realized that with every online click and page load， they are creating data which might be collected and exploited.

When a user scans a QR （Quick Response） code with a smart phone or browses a social media site like Weibo， the users consumption habits， preferences and even contact lists might be collected by data capture tools. The data is analyzed and harvested by businesses to provide highly customized and targeted goods and services.

Regardless of whether youre prepared， the world has entered an era of “big data，”in which a massive volume of information， including text， images， audio， and video， are collected， analyzed， processed， and capitalized on as intangible assets.

Changing Lives

In fact， big data has already transformed daily life. For instance， Taobao.com， the most popular online shopping website in China， has already established a cloud computing center utilizing the technology to analyze customer habits to improve the effectiveness of its marketing and sales efforts throughout the year and make rational decisions.

Through the use of IBMs big data platform， Trident Marketing， a direct sales firm， has gained unprecedented insight into consumer tendencies. Based on predictive analytics， its sales staff knows the best time of the day to call customers： when they are likeliest to have free time and a good mood. This has helped the company multiply its revenue by 10 over only four years.

“Previously， decisions were made based on experience and market surveys，”explains Han Yaoqiang， an analyst from the China Center for Information Industry Development. “Predictive analysis of big data enables decision-making to be more scientific and rational.”

The technology has also been applied to medical care. IBMs Watson supercomputer can suggest as many as 20 likely diagnoses based on a patients medical records， symptoms， and lab results. The doctor can also factor in clues he or she picks up to further enhance diagnostic efficiency and accuracy.

“Big data technology will exert comprehensive， deep influence across every facet of life， including personal and social lifestyles， business， law， and values，”opines Han. “Some of the impact is hard to predict， but there is little doubt that it will substantially change human life.”

Data Gold Rush

The numbers are stunning： In one day， enough information is consumed by internet traffic to fill 168 million DVDs. Over 294 billion emails are delivered， equaling the volume of written mail handled by the U.S. Postal Service over two years. The 2 million blog posts published daily could fill Time magazine for 770 years.

A huge volume of data has become an unavoidable facet of daily life. According to the International Data Corporation， the world created 1.8 zettabytes of data in 2011， and the figure is expected to multiply nearly 20 times to 35 zettabytes by 2020.

“Big data has penetrated every aspect of human life， from real estate， commerce， and products to branding，” illustrates Professor Shen Hao， president of the Survey and Statistics Institute of the Communication University of China.

According to Chen Wei， director of the Software Service Industry Department of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology， the world is full of huge amounts of both useful and useless information， making a “mixture of gold and sand”， and big data technology helps sift through the junk to analyze valuable data that can provide insight for various industries. “In the 21st Century， big data is considered an untapped oilfield with unfathomable potential，” he adds.

Xiao Bing， an expert working with IBM， asserts that big data can generate tremendous market opportunities. With its great social and commercial potential， big data has been a gold mine for those who can extract predictive and useful information from huge amounts of non-structured data.

Industry insiders foresee that following cloud computing， big data will see its opportunity to boom this year. Dozens of internationally-renowned companies including IBM， Microsoft， Google， and Amazon have dived into the big data “gold rush.”

China has also accelerated its pace of data research. On August 23， 2012， Xixian Big Data Processing and Service Industrial Park in Shaanxi Province， the first of its kind in the country， began operation. Already， several research institutions including National Population Data Processing and Backup Center have settled there. The industrial park is expected to soon develop into Chinas largest concentration of information resources.

Future of Big Data

However， big data technology is undoubtedly a double-edged sword. In the big data era， commercial organizations face challenges in data processing， usage， storage， and safety. Moreover， worries about personal privacy and information safety have also emerged. “Information safety will be a more significant concern in the big data era than in the internet era，”predicts Han Yaoqiang. He adds that this has been creating a new market for data security.

Another challenge is that most big data still lacks practical application， but breakthroughs will undoubtedly continue， improving business efficiency， adds Xiao Bing.

According to Wu Hequan， a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering， the big data industry desperately needs expertise in both quantitative statistics and industrial analysis， but a severe shortage of qualified specialists remains. “Also， we havent seen any legislation regarding big data development， application， and security， nor privacy protection in China，” he adds.“Innovation is required for data sharing.”

Despite the various challenges ahead， big data is only getting bigger. “Its a revolution，” proclaims Gary King， director of Harvards Institute for Quantitative Social Science. “Were really just getting under way. But the march of quantification， made possible by enormous new sources of data， will sweep through academia， business and government. No area will be left untouched.”