We’ve taken the wraps off of “Big Data Now,” a free collection that brings together much of the data coverage we’ve featured here on Radar over the last year.
Mike Loukides kicked things off in June 2010 with “What is data science?” and from there we’ve pursued the various threads and themes that emerged. The interesting thing is that our coverage areas have evolved organically. We didn’t set out to explore specific domains or technologies. Instead, we sought to chronicle the natural growth of the data science space.
That evolution allowed the content to — in a way — categorize itself, and those categories became evident when we were assembling the table of contents for “Big Data Now.” Here’s how the topics sorted out:
Data issues — The opportunities and ambiguities of the data space are evident in this segment’s discussions around privacy, the implications of data-centric industries, and even in the debate about the phrase “data science” itself.
The application of data — An exploration of data applications showed that this segment is quickly expanding to include everything from data startups to established enterprises to media/journalism to education and research. A “data product” can emerge from virtually any domain.
Data science and data tools — The tools and technologies that drive data science are, of course, essential to this space, but the varied techniques being applied are also key to understanding the big data arena.
The business of data — This is all about the actions connected to data — the process of finding, organizing, and analyzing data that allows organizations of all sizes to improve and innovate.
To be clear, “Big Data Now” represents the story up to this point (hence, the “now” part of the title). In the weeks and months ahead we’ll certainly see important shifts in the data
landscape. That’s why we’ll continue to follow this space through ongoing Radar coverage and our series of online and in-person Strata events.
You can download “Big Data Now” for free here.
Strata 2012 — The 2012 Strata Conference, being held Feb. 28-March 1 in Santa Clara, Calif., will offer three full days of hands-on data training and information-rich sessions. Strata brings together the people, tools, and technologies you need to make data work.