Big Data: A Very Short Introduction

Description

An unimaginably vast amount of data is now generated by our on-line lives and businesses, At the same time, our ability to store, manage, analyse, and exploit this data is becoming ever more sophisticated. This Very Short Introduction maps out the technology, and also the range of possibilities, challenges, and ethical questions it raises.

• Introduces the topic of big data, drawing on the fields of statistics, probability, and computer science
• Illustrates the power of big data in everyday life, and the attendant security risks
• Analyses the special techniques required for the storage and analysis of big data
• Discusses the use of big data by companies and businesses today
• Part of the Very Short Introductions series - over eight million copies sold worldwide

About the Author(s)

Dawn E. Holmes, Faculty Member, Department of Statistics and Applied Probability, University of California, Santa Barbara

Dawn Holmes is a faculty member in the Department of Statistics and Applied Probability at the University of California, Santa Barbara, specializing in Bayesian networks, machine learning, and data mining. She is the co-editor of a three-volume work, Data Mining: Foundations and Intelligent Paradigms (Springer, 2014), and Associate Editor of the International Journal of Knowledge-Based and Intelligent Information Systems.

Table of Contents

1:The data explosion
2:Why is big data special?
3:Storing big data
4:Big data analysis
5:Big data and medicine
6:Big data, big business
7:Big data security and the Snowden case
8:The internet of things
Byte size chart
References
Further Reading
Index

Reviews

"Big data is in the news, and this excellent very short introduction brings the reader up to speed and enables them to understand the various components and implications." - Paradigm Explorer

"This is a very useful, concise introduction to the topic of big data." - Jonathan Cowie, Science Fact & Science Fiction Concatenation

"A very short introduction to a very big subject ... arguably the most topical of this book series ... This very short introduction is perfect for anyone who is a little bit baffled by the very concept of big data. Holmes introduces the subject in a format that is both concise and manageable." - Jade Taylor-Salazar, E&T Magazine