Posted on May 02, 2014
In recent years, ‘big data’ has often served as just another buzz word. It’s a term thrown around by politicians, executives, technology experts and members of the media on an almost second-by-second basis. But what does big data actually mean?
Our colleagues would say big data is a powerful new kind of natural resource that allows us all to ask and answer better questions. Our firm’s strategic leadership would explain it holds the insight necessary to transform the performance of an organization – or an entire industry. And, last but not least, some of my more technologically minded coworkers would perhaps even begin to discuss the tools and platforms necessary to collect, ingest, house, and analyze data in a meaningful way.
Of course, big data fits all of these definitions; yet, it means so much more. Simply put, big data doesn’t solely belong in the halls of big business. The availability of information as well as our unprecedented ability to analyze that content has definitively changed how we live our lives, and it only promises to increase its impact moving forward.
Think about it - data has revolutionized our purchasing decisions as well as the way we think about our neighborhoods, evaluate our favorite sports teams, reach breakthroughs in medicine and even decide what movie to watch on a Friday evening. In fact, we’d say that we all now have a little bit of “data scientist” in us.
And that begs the question – as a data scientist (either in practice or in your personal life), will you join the data movement? If you haven’t already, hold on. It’s coming to a city near you.
Next week, a global community of data enthusiasts will celebrate Big Data Week (May 5-11) with localized events held across the world. Each event is designed to bring together organizations and individuals in more than 30 cities worldwide through events, debates and discussions – all designed to provide a platform to educate and inspire.
We invite you to join us in this celebration. Attend an event in your city, engage in thoughtful conversation on social media and, above all, take a few minutes to marvel at how data has changed our world for the better.
And make sure to pay close attention to @BoozAllen and @joshdsullivan all week. We’ll be sharing our perspectives on how data has changed our lives using #bdw14.
