Last updated on May 25th, 2022 at 09:51 am
5 Weird Ways How Data is Used Around the World
Data is omnipresent, it is available everywhere. We cannot deny the fact that data is changing the world in ways we cannot fathom. We are at a time, where we are witnessing innovation in the way we are collecting and interpreting this data. Big data analysis is a groundbreaking step and it is only becoming bigger by the day. We are slowly realizing that the use of data in almost all aspects of our lives, is actually making our lives simpler, at the same time it is presenting an opportunity for us, by helping us shape the world that we live in for the good.
There are many mainstream uses of data, which can be collected from various sources, and on interpretation can produce huge values. For example, e-commerce sites, that increase revenue with the inputs from customer feedback and shopping pattern.
Eventually, every aspect of our lives will be impacted by the advent of big data. It is not all buzz without action. There are some significant areas where big data is already making a difference, in fact in some areas it is doing so in a camouflaged approach.
Analytics is working in wonderful ways, and it has found some pretty interesting applications.
A quick read below will reveal some unobserved ways in which big data is touching our lives :
1. Enhanced Sport Performance
Most select sports are now using the benefits of big data analytics, video analytics is used to map the performance in football or baseball, and sensor technology is also used in the sports equipment such as baskets, and golf clubs which relay feedback over smartphones, via cloud servers, on how to improve performance in the game. Health bands help track activities of sportspersons outside of the sporting environment to keep a check on their nutrition and sleep also social media usage and conversations to understand their psychological wellbeing.
2. Elevating Machine Performance
Big data tools are used to control autonomous cars, for example, Toyota’s Prius is equipped with GPS, powerful computers, and sensors to safely drive on road without human intervention. Computer performance can also be enhanced by using big data tools.
3. Augmenting and Refining Cities and Countries
Many cities use big data to improve aspects of their functioning. For example, traffic situations could be better controlled, by getting factual data, weather understanding, and social media. Some cities are planning to use big data to upgrade themselves as smart cities, where the transport, infrastructure, and utility processes are all interconnected. In other words, a train would wait for a delayed plane, or where traffic signals change their functioning on predictions to minimize traffic jams.
4. Use of Sentiments in Elections
Big data analytics can impact the way we choose our leaders, or perhaps the way the leader ensures we choose them by appealing to our sentiments and needs, voter models are designed to identify specific voters who could make a difference in elections and specifically target messages to those voters. The Obama campaign in the 2012 presidential elections took this to another level in their stride.
5. Better Healthcare
Big data, with its computing ability, can assist us to decode entire DNA strings in moments. This will allow us to achieve better results and maybe understand or better still predict disease patterns. It can almost help us identify epidemics and outbreaks by linking data from medical records along with social media analytics, and imagine all this will be in actual time. Just by reading messaging like ‘not feeling good today” or “in Bed no energy” on social media.
As time extends, there will be many applications and tools of big data that will have a variety of possibilities. While it can be debated how this data is invading our privacy, it is best to look at the bright side and acknowledge how this data will make our lives easy.
