“Bid data” has become a buzzword off late and
everyone is trying to incorporate the idea in his or her areas of specialty.
From biomics, genomics, financial networks, NSA’s database to ecological
networks, the word is now almost mentioned everywhere. Now, the question here
is, is big data for
science really
something to focus on? The answer is certainly a big yes! In fact, it is
becoming almost impossible to separate big data from science. Just recently,
The White House Big Data Research and Development Initiative pointed out the
need for data science in biomedicine, computers, the military, and the
environment among others.
History at
glance
In the past years, researchers were very specific
with the tools they used to carry on with their work. They were also specific
to their field of interest. Like for instance the telescope and microscope were
two separate tools not related in any way. However, as of today, both the telescopes
and microscope’s compiled data can easily be traced from the same computer even
though for different purposes. Big data is about having the required data or
info for analysis, research and decision-making.
When did
scientists begin to use data?
All along, scientists have been actively using data.
In fact, in the past there were certain fields that heavily relied on big data
sets.Such included researches on nuclear fusion and high-energy particle physics.
What seems to be new as of the current age is the scale of the data. The
information available today is overwhelming that it is somewhat becoming a
challenge to infrastructure capacity.
Big data
initiative
According to the White House, there is a great need
to create and improve tools for scientific research. This can happen by making
sense of the huge data now readily available. The existing technologies ought
to improve to allow insight on large sets of digital data. One of the major
themes of big data initiative is to transform or scale the researcher’s ability
for scientific discovery, national security, and education, biomedical and
environmental research. And this is easily achievable by analyzing data to
create predictions necessary for conducting research.
The importance
of Grants and research programs
These focus on improving the major available
technologies for processing and managing big data sets.Encouraging educational
institutions to train more data engineers and scientists and speeding up
scientific research. There is a lot to be brought to books and that is why big data for science is now becoming a
great deal to focus on. Ideally, the available information in various
disciplines should fasten researches and make easy the process that in the past
appeared unmanageable.
The big data technology has spread faster and now it
has moved from the focus on specific scientific disciplines to into the
infrastructure of private firms and large enterprises. Companies are employing big
data engineers to help them monitor and manage risks in the areas they want to
invest or have already invested.
