Big Data

What is Big Data

a generic term for large or complex datasets that are difficult to store and analyse.

Big data is a generic term given to datasets that are so large or complicated that they are difficult to store, manipulate and analyse. The three main features of big data are:

• volume: the sheer amount of data is on a very large scale
• variety: the type of data being collected is wide-ranging, varied and may be difficult to classify.
• velocity: the data changes quickly and may include constantly changing data sources.

Where is Big Data Used

Big data is used for different purposes. In some cases, it is used to record factual data such as banking transactions. However, it is increasingly being used to analyse trends and try to make predictions based on relationships and correlations within the data. Big data is being created all the time in many different areas of life. Examples include:

• scientific research
• retail
• banking
• government
• mobile networks
• security
• real-time applications
• the Internet.

Big Data & Latency

Latency is the time delay that occurs when transmitting data between devices.

Latency is critical here and could be described as the time delay of the amount of time it takes to turn the raw data into meaningful information. With big data there may be a large degree of latency due to the amount of time taken to access and manipulate the sheer number of records.