コンピュータが普及する以前から、ありとあらゆるデータは蓄積されてきましたが、インターネットが一般に普及するようになってから蓄積されるデータは増加の一途をたどっています。ビッグデータとは単に量的な変化だけでなく、質的なものも表します。企業や団体がこれをいかに蓄積、分析、活用しているのか、さまざまな事例を交えて紹介します。そしてビッグデータがはらむ倫理的な課題、例えばセキュリティやハッキングにも目を向けます。
 

• Introduces the topic of big data, drawing on the fields of statistics, probability, and computer science
• Illustrates the power of big data in everyday life, and the attendant security risks
• Analyses the special techniques required for the storage and analysis of big data
• Discusses the use of big data by companies and businesses today

 
Since long before computers were even thought of, data has been collected and organized by diverse cultures across the world. Once access to the Internet became a reality for large swathes of the world's population, the amount of data generated each day became huge, and continues to grow exponentially. It includes all our uploaded documents, video, and photos, all our social media traffic, our online shopping, even the GPS data from our cars.

'Big Data' represents a qualitative change, not simply a quantitative one. The term refers both to the new technologies involved, and to the way it can be used by business and government. Dawn E. Holmes uses a variety of case studies to explain how data is stored, analysed, and exploited by a variety of bodies from big companies to organizations concerned with disease control. Big data is transforming the way businesses operate, and the way medical research can be carried out. At the same time, it raises important ethical issues; Holmes discusses cases such as the Snowden affair, data security, and domestic smart devices which can be hijacked by hackers.