http://harvardmagazine.com/2014/03/why-big-data-is-a-big-deal
A few months ago while I was at home, I saw that my sister received another issue of the Harvard Magazine. At first I was going to just ignore it completely, but I noticed that the magazine was talking about big data on its front page. I had some time that day, so I took the magazine and started reading the article that I linked at the top.
DATA, IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS, are evidence. The forward edge of science, whether it drives a business or marketing decision, provides an insight into Renaissance painting, or leads to a medical breakthrough, is increasingly being driven by quantities of information that humans can understand only with the help of math and machines. Those who possess the skills to parse this ever-growing trove of information sense that they are making history in many realms of inquiry.
The article was longer than I anticipated, but I thought that it was a good read. It provided good examples about how data can impact and change people’s lives. More importantly, it also addressed fundamental issues about working with big data such as the need to have real insight into what’s going on, the need to keep in mind that correlations and causations are not the same thing, and the need to keep data secure (especially with medical data).
