Janet writes, > (Big data) is an investment looking for a return. > It is a magical word covering all kinds of data collection. > Climate data and personal health data are not the same thing > but now there is a term which paints them the same colour. > It just looks like we are selecting for dependence on mass > investment in data harvesting.
Often big data started out as an almost nuisance by-product of modern consumer tech systems, Maybe it was saved by the service provider and often not. For example, for many years your Internet Service Provider has had Squid Logs that record every customer web destination. In the past often logs were not saved. But seemingly all of a sudden, it was realized that such tech-customer data, with appropriate analysis, had predictive value and hence monetary value regarding customer & client behavior. Now businesses are wondering how to cash-in on big data and governments are wondering what public legal protections are justified. For eg, the car company Ford appears puzzled regarding their big data: <http://www.businessinsider.com.au/ford-exec-gps-2014-1> Jan 9th 2014 Fords Global VP/Marketing & Sales, Jim Farley, said.. something about data privacy today at CES, the big electronics trade show in Las Vegas. Because of the GPS units installed in Ford vehicles, Ford knows when its drivers are speeding, and where they are, while theyre doing it. Farley was trying to describe how much data Ford has on its customers, and illustrate the fact that the company uses very little of it in order to avoid raising privacy concerns: "We know everyone who breaks the law, we know when youre doing it. We have GPS in your car, so we know what youre doing. By the way, we dont supply that data to anyone," he told attendees. Rather, he said, he imagined a day when the data might be used anonymously and in aggregate to help others with traffic related problems. Suppose a stadium is holding an event; knowing how much traffic is making its way toward the arena might help the venue change its parking lot resources accordingly, he said. (End quote) So, many people are still confused re such system by-products as big data. We are now at the stage where we'll need to examine data issues with care. Cheers, Stephen Message sent using MelbPC WebMail Server
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