Big Data Analytics is a Buzz Word these days. Well, it means what it sounds like. It’s a term used to describe any gigantic chunk of information, which can be used as useful information.
It is often characterized by five ‘V’s: Volume, Variety, Velocity, Veracity, and Value.
Big Data Analytics is currently being extensively used in the fields of supply chain optimization, fraud & risk detection & control, web search & internet, insurance & banking, e-commerce, mobiles, travels & airline industry, share market, meteorological department, social media, space, and marine science, etc. A recent example is our Chandrayaan-2 mission, which made extensive use of data analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The power of Big Data Analytics can be effectively used to improve the world in which we live. Here are my thoughts related to some areas wherein we can use analytics for social good.
Urban Planning:
Sustainable urban planning is becoming more and more complicated with multiple systems competing for resources — utilities, energy, housing, transportation, and infrastructure to name but a few. Municipalities can make use of big data for managing waste, reducing costs, and improving the quality of living and working in large cities. Using big data in urban planning also helps with parking problems, pollution, and energy consumption. Big Data can also help to have landmark remodeling, which will result in optimizing expenses incurred for infrastructure face lifting in megacities.
Public Health:
Big data allows scientists to unravel entire DNA sequences in minutes. This means an increased ability to predict patterns in diseases and mutations. This will help in finding quicker solutions and to fight with diseases in a smart way. Analytics can help to have preventive measures in countries, which are more susceptible to infections.
Predictive models built by taking information like genes, localized environment, individual lifestyle, pre-existing conditions, socioeconomic factors, and demographics can give us enough information to take corrective action in our lifestyles to disrupt or reverse the progress of a disease or perhaps prepare for its arrival by taking the necessary precautions.
Energy Management:
Data analytics can be used in the areas of energy management and cover areas like energy optimization, smart-grid management, distribution of energy, and building automation for cities. Data analytics application here focuses mainly on monitoring and controlling of dispatch crew, network devices, and make sure service outages are properly managed. Utilities get the ability to integrate as much as millions of data points within the performance of the network, which allows the engineers to make use of the analytics in monitoring the network.
Agriculture:
Currently typically, in India farmers tend to take a particular crop year on year without much of analytics. Though agriculture universities are helping farmers to have more scientific farming; however still there is a long way to go. The use of data analytics can help farmers to know about the quality of the soil they are having, a requirement of fertilizers based on soil composition. Based on data, models can be designed to take crops based on current country demand. This will help to fulfill the country’s demand, avoid scrappage due to low/ no rate, and make farmers profitable. Similar studies can be applied for dairy products also.
Education:
Since the last many years in urban areas, students and are aspiring for engineers, doctors, commerce graduates, MBAs. This has created a flood of people in these areas far more than the market demand. Big Data Analytics can help in this area. Real-Time Data Model can be designed which can integrate the country’s current skill demand along with future trends. This will help to revamp the education system, which can focus on developing skills, which are required to sustain in current and future market scenarios.
Environmental Protection:
AI or Big Data Analytics can play a big role in Environmental Protection. Based on data points, models can be developed to check biodiversity, to check forest areas and their depletion, to have control on wildlife poaching, to monitor changes in river routes & sea levels, to monitor ice melting, to monitor the ozone layer, to monitor environmental pollutants, for population mapping, etc.
Such models will help us to take corrective actions well in advance and manage environmental protection in better way.
There are many more field wherein Big Data Analytics can be effectively used for social good. Let’s use Power of Data to make world a better place to live.
What are your thoughts on the applications of Big Data Analytics? Please let is know in comment section.