In the middle of the digital revolution, almost without being aware of it, we constantly generate data, much of which is stored: it is what we call big data or massive data . Big data is a new revolution, as was the arrival of electricity to society at the time. Data has become a fundamental element of the economy. But where do they come from, how are they analyzed and what use can this data have in our society?
We speak of big data when we have a volume of data of the order of a petabyte, that is, a million gigabytes . However, for this data to be useful and provide us with knowledge, it is necessary to analyze it properly. The European Commission is promoting the good use of data to change society. According to this body, the analysis of big data can provide opportunities to traditional sectors such as transportation, health or manufacturing , and can improve research and accelerate innovation, in addition to influencing productivity.
Along these lines, one of the most promising fields is medicine, an area in which the analysis of big data can help reduce the costs of clinical research or help better manage the use of medicines . Another great field of application is bioinformatics, which has led us to the so-called omic age , in relation to genomics, or proteomics, which has meant a giant step forward in biotechnology or biomedicine.
Other utilities for society are the applications of big data in the field of smart cities , which allow, for example, to change the duration of traffic lights using sensors . In economics it is also applied to calculate the inflation rate more quickly.
To process and analyze this kind of information, machine learning systems are being developed that can learn through algorithms from the data received.
Now, all this innovative technology collides with an important social aspect, such as privacy and the control of the information that each one of us generates , from that related to our consumption to that related to our health.
Big data opens the door to a new future. Can you replace the medical decision based on an objective assessment based on millions of data? Are we willing to provide our personal and health data? Currently, data protection laws do not allow their use. In this sense, one of the great challenges for society is to obtain a valid regulatory framework for big data . Technological evolution cannot be stopped; so it is necessary to promote legal regulation in favor of individuals and to take care of the information that is collected from each of us.
More information at Monleón-Getino, Antonio. “The impact of big data in the information society. Meaning and utility”. History and Social Communication , 2015. Doi: 10.5209 / rev_HICS.2015.v20.n2.51392
Antonio Monleón Getino is a professor in the Department of Statistics of the Faculty of Biology (University of Barcelona) and belongs to the Research Group in Biostatistics and Bioinformatics (GRBIO). Article written in collaboration with the Communication Unit of the University of Barcelona.
