“Big data” refers to data sets that are so complex and large they cannot be analyzed or processed using traditional methods. However, despite the complexity of big data, it has become a major part of our digital-centric society.
The amount of big data generated by the internet and internet users has exploded over the last decade. In 2014, mobile data usage sat at around 2.53 exabytes per month, and today, it’s about 167 exabytes per month. By 2029, this usage is expected to triple, reaching over 400 exabytes per month. That’s a lot of data.
There are a number of things that can point to why so much more data is being produced today, however, the primary factor is trending technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT). The growing use of IoT technologies in recent years has led to the generation of vast amounts of data.
While IoT and big data can offer many benefits, dealing with such complex data can also pose challenges. This article will take a closer look at how IoT and big data are connected, innovative use cases across industries, and potential challenges and solutions to effectively manage big data.
IoT and Big Data
Because of big data and IoT, the future of data analysis is evolving. However, before we look at how these two things are revolutionizing industries across the globe, it’s helpful to understand how IoT and big data are related.
Big data, as mentioned above, refers to large, expansive data sets. This kind of data is full of hidden insights that can be harnessed by businesses to drive innovation. For example, big data can be used for improved decision-making, trend and risk predictions, to enhance customer understanding, and to optimize overall operations.
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to devices with sensors connected through shared networks. The sensors gather and share vast amounts of data across connected systems, which can then manage, store, filter, or analyze the data. The greatest benefit of IoT devices is that they provide real-time data, enabling companies to obtain more meaningful insights into their processes.
Big data analytics can help make more sense of the data shared by IoT devices, which can then empower businesses to achieve greater efficiencies through hidden insights from the data.
IoT and Big Data Uses Across Industries
The possible applications of IoT and big data are vast. Already, numerous industries are using these technologies to improve efficiencies, including:
- Healthcare: IoT and big data in healthcare have enabled better access to care with telemedicine and remote patient monitoring. These technologies also enable predictive and evidence-based medicine, which can improve patient outcomes.
- Agriculture: IoT devices and big data in the agriculture sector can provide real-time insights such as soil moisture and nutrient levels, weather conditions, water usage, animal grazing patterns, and more.
- Manufacturing: With IoT, machines can all be connected on a single network, enabling manufacturers to easily monitor and collect real-time data on their equipment and how everything is running.
- Logistics: IoT and big data in supply chain management use things like monitoring systems, telematics systems, and asset trackers to keep track of packages and shipments. It also enables tracking of things like transportation and weather to look at factors that may affect when a shipment will arrive or be delivered.
These are just a few of the many ways IoT and big data are being used across industries. Education, fintech, e-commerce, utility, construction, and communications are all examples of other areas and sectors that are being transformed by IoT and big data analytics.
Challenges Posed by Massive Data Integration and Possible Solutions
While the applications of big data and IoT have led to significant growth and powerful innovations for many organizations and industries, the adoption of these technologies does not come without risks and challenges.
Data Security
Privacy and security are two major concerns when organizations are gathering and sharing large amounts of sensitive data. Every IoT device and the data it shares is susceptible to cybersecurity attacks. To avoid data being compromised and misused, organizations will need to adopt better IoT privacy and security strategies. This can include only using data for relevant purposes, notifying users of how their data is being used, offering users the ability to consent or opt-out, not transferring data to third parties, and minimizing who has access to and control over sensitive data.
Data Visualization
Another issue when dealing with large complex data sets is being able to properly visualize the data to better understand it. Proper visualization is needed to adequately identify data insights and then use those insights to drive decision-making. Unfortunately, data comes in many formats, which makes visualization difficult.
This indicates a need for more innovative visualization tools, like network diagram software, for example. Network diagram tools are intelligent applications that make it easier to visualize data on a network and how that data flows or is connected. These diagrams can act as broad overviews or detailed illustrations, depending on the scope or purpose.
Data Storage and Processing
The capacity and capabilities of current data storage systems are limited when it comes to storing and processing large quantities of complex data sets. As such, there is a need for more advanced systems that can better handle big data, especially as data usage is expected to grow.
Already, we are seeing some innovative solutions that can help. Edge computing, for example, was designed to accelerate data transfer and processing. Instead of data having to travel long distances to data storage centers, edge computing allows the data to be processed closer to the source at the edge of a network. This reduces the burden on storage systems and allows the data to be returned to the end user much quicker and in real time.
Conclusion
As IoT and big data continue to grow and evolve, our ability to effectively handle this amount of data will depend on the advancement of data management solutions. There is no denying the power of data and how it can reshape industries for the better, but those benefits can only be harnessed if data security, visualization, processing, and storage solutions grow and evolve just as quickly as the data itself.
