Big Data

Big data is in the news, and this excellent very short introduction brings the reader up to speed and enables them to understand the various components and implications. The aim is to explain how big data works and is changing our lives as well as business. We are now generating unprecedented amounts of data through social networking, online shopping and surfing - all this is collected and collated by such giants as Google and Amazon for commercial purposes. It can potentially also be used for medical purposes but, as explained in the book above, there are many issues relating to privacy and security; here the book covers Snowden and WikiLeaks. It was staggering to learn that in 2015 200 bn emails were sent every day, with only 10% being authentic and not spam or with malicious intent. The final chapter discusses the implications for society, including robots, smart vehicles and smart homes, but without referring to the almost ubiquitous electromagnetic pollution and its potential effects on our health, which many people are already flagging up (see www.bemri.org).