How Big Data is Changing the World
We evolved from an ancient agricultural society to an industrial society. Where the entire society, including the economy, was run on agriculture, we have gradually seen the social system run on industry. In this machine-dependent society, we have seen the previous direct use of natural resources being processed and used through machines. But it can be said that the last nail in the coffin of the industrial society has been hammered. Because, a new social system has already begun, where data is everything.
The power of information created with 1 and 0 is now so huge that it has changed the entire world system, and is still doing so. Now we are not in the era of Enigma, or our information is no longer as small and isolated as before. Every piece of information is becoming more specific and sophisticated. In terms of quantity, all records are being surpassed one after another. We as humans are no longer just flesh and blood, but each of us is a bundle of data. The situation has reached a point where an average American citizen has a bundle of 75,000 data points that one company can sell to another.[1] From such a huge amount of data, these data points have been analyzed and are worth selling. In other words, even after a considerable amount of research, this amount of data has become so large. This huge amount of data is collectively called big data.
Silicon chips and the cloud have taken over the place of piles of paper and huge files filled with information. Just 22 years ago, only 25 percent of all information was stored in digital storage, now 90 percent of that information is stored in digital storage. Ninety percent of the amount of information that is being created every day around the world is stored in digital storage.[2] In 2021, a total of 79 zettabytes of information were created digitally around the world, where 1 zettabyte is equal to 7.9^10 terabytes. Access to this vast amount of data can determine whether a political campaign will be successful, or whether a company will grow or decline in growth. The influence of technology companies today also speaks for itself.
The whole game of this huge amount of data is one of light and darkness. From this person-centered information, you will not only get an idea about a single person, but you will also get a good idea about the attitude of a population. Not only will this information give you a detailed idea, but it will also present a comprehensive picture to you. At the same time, this information will be used for security purposes, as well as to destroy security. By analyzing the thoughts of a person, it is possible to take a step for him, as well as to present a comprehensive picture of the entire country, which will make it easy to know about a country.
Let’s find out how this huge amount of data can change the future of our world.
Language
No country in the world is now as isolated as an island. The culture of each country now influences the culture of other countries. Through social media, business, tourism – we can now get acquainted with the culture of each country. We now watch movies in different languages along with our own language. Just one English subtitle makes an entire movie international. It is now possible to watch movies in almost all languages of the world without knowing a specific language. It is now possible to communicate in all languages of the world. It is possible to find out all the information starting from books in any language without knowing that specific language.
The data of more than 200 million people around the world has been analyzed to prepare the translation program that we use so easily today. Although there are still many mistakes, the rate at which the amount of data is increasing means that it will be possible to get a translator that is almost 100% accurate in the near future. The more data, the better the translation. For example, the amount of writing in Bengali online has increased considerably compared to the past, as a result of which Google’s translator program can now show better quality translations than before.
However, due to big data, not only translations will be improved. Rather, the robotic, unusual voices of our virtual assistants will also improve. From so much data, it is possible to make the robotic voices of our virtual assistants look exactly like human voices by analyzing the frequency, depth, and duration of human speech, that is, the overall voice. Moreover, those voices will not be the same. The style of this voice can also change depending on the person and their context.
As a result, the efficiency of various artificial intelligence assistant programs will increase significantly. In addition, the language barrier will no longer exist. As a result of this overall improvement, the dominance of any one language will decrease, as well as the need for international languages. Everyone will be able to communicate in all kinds of ways through their own language. By shifting our attention away from the language or the medium of communication, the positive impact on the main task will increase.
Food
According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the goal we set to end world hunger by 2030 is unlikely to be achieved.[4] The global undernourishment rate, which was 8.4% in 2019, has risen to 9.9% in 2020. This means that 800 million people worldwide were hungry in 2020, most of them in Asia and Africa.[5] Time is not on our side. The current increasing pollution, political instability, and rapidly growing population will easily hinder the achievement of the FAO’s 2030 goals. These are the biggest challenges facing sufficient food production.
To solve this problem, we need to create a connection between big data and agriculture. With the right farming system, we will be able to use every square inch of land properly, taking into account factors such as weather, climate, overall air conditions, water, nitrogen, etc. With the help of algorithms prepared by analyzing the weather forecast, soil conditions, location through GPS, etc. of agricultural lands through various sensors, we can easily find out how to produce a crop on which land will give the best yield.
Moreover, today, farming is no longer confined to ancient times. Starting from planting crops to harvesting them at home, it is possible to do it through machines. Now, with those machines, it is possible to monitor the entire work through sensors and software, without having to do it through the farmer, but through virtual information. When the machines have all the information about that land, they will be able to make good decisions and will also show good results in their work. For example, this huge amount of information will be very helpful in deciding which crop will be good on which soil, or when and how much fertilizer needs to be applied, etc.
Already, the world’s largest agricultural companies have started investing large amounts of money in big data research, starting from farm analysis. For example, an algorithm called FieldScripts.[6] This algorithm takes all the information about a specific land as input and processes it to tell how the entire land should be managed, what crops are currently good to grow, what risk factors are there, and finally gives advice according to the problem.
In the next century, it will be seen that agricultural companies have transformed themselves into individual technology companies. Through cloud technology, small companies will be able to share all the benefits without having to go through the expense of huge infrastructure. In addition, the analysis of this information will not only make farming more efficient, but will also have a relatively less adverse impact on the environment.
Finance
Currently, most of the daily tasks of stock trading are done in a black-box method. In this method, certain computer algorithms and information about shares, such as share price, quantity, time, can easily know detailed information about a business or company. In the current business world, the supply chain of products, inventory management, etc. are being done through computers. However, data can do this work more quickly and efficiently. Without having to prepare a product, it is possible to analyze how the product will perform in that region. It is possible to simulate the use of the product. Big data is giving good results not only in products, but also in payment or money management. Companies can easily understand when and which products need to be shown to a person by looking at the daily spending pattern of the person, and advertising is becoming more specific. For all this, the use of ‘Fintech’, i.e. finance and technology, can be said to be worthwhile.
While there was a global investment of 930 million US dollars in Fintech in 2008, it has increased to 210 billion dollars by 2021. Banks are modernizing and the potential of Fintech can be understood from this huge amount of investment.
In the future, it will be possible to create a specific person-centered profile from a person’s banking data, which will be able to influence his or her spending habits. Currently, when applying for a loan or investment for a project, banks can easily get the applicant’s financial transaction history and other information. Through which it will be possible to determine what kind of loan and how to give the best results. In addition, cashless payment or online payment has opened a new horizon.
War
The life of war is said to be proper planning and troop selection. And this is where the success of big data lies. In terms of war planning, it is possible to get absolutely accurate location information, accurate maps of each region including the weather of the war area. Taking accurate information about the enemy into account plays a huge role in planning. There is no technology more proficient than big data in this regard.
Just as it is possible to get an overall idea, it is also possible to create personal profiles of enemy soldiers. As a result, it is possible to know the weaknesses of the soldiers of a unit. It will also be quite easy to know in advance which soldier will participate in which war. In addition, if you analyze the correct information skillfully, it is possible to get the best results by using weapons according to the location. As a result, it is possible to defeat the enemy very quickly with less time and resources.
This advantage of information can be used not only in the case of the enemy, but also in the case of your own soldiers. For example, it is possible to know in advance which soldier will perform best for which war. After collecting and analyzing all the information from the war zone, it is possible to create an artificial battlefield by creating a war atmosphere, where soldiers can receive the necessary training.
Palantir is a company that can provide the above-mentioned benefits. The company’s list of military users includes the FBI, NSA, and the US military.[8] Although this company has many other data-driven tools, the majority of its revenue comes from the defense section. The company claims that using their tools, it is possible to create a complete war action plan by analyzing isolated data. And in the real world, in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States was able to create a three-dimensional map of the war zone, including potential damage and attack targets.[9] In addition, using this technology, it has been possible to create necessary action plans against various crimes including drug smuggling and cyber fraud.
Medicine
The biggest weakness of the conventional health system is providing the same medicine for all types of patients with a specific disease. The internal changes of the disease by the individual are not taken into account in this case. This raises questions about the effectiveness of drugs. The solution to this problem is to provide the necessary treatment and medicine for each individual. Big data plays a major role in this. By storing detailed information about the human genome and mapping that information, it is possible to find out all kinds of detailed information about someone’s body. In addition, it is possible to create a database of all diseases, which can be prevented with 100% success in the event of a subsequent disease. The market for using this genomics or genome as data is currently worth over 20 billion US dollars, and it is constantly growing.[10] Genomic data has the potential to change the entire healthcare system.
Companies like Personal Genome Diagnostics (PGDx) are now offering specialized cancer diagnosis services. If you send them a small sample of your body’s tumor, they can easily provide a lot of information about your cancer through their huge data and by analyzing the genome of the sample you send. They are able to provide accurate information about why your cancer is growing, how it was created, and ways to cure it. The most common cancer treatments today, such as chemotherapy, are many generalized treatments; As a result, healthy cells are also destroyed, and there are serious side effects on health. Instead, personalized medicine will only destroy your diseased cells, and will be able to provide side-effect-free medical services.
All this will be possible only thanks to the help of big data. The more data there is, the more accurate medical services will be possible. It is understandable that the importance of such technologies is increasing, as companies working on these are receiving millions of dollars in funding.
The above areas are a very small part of many possibilities. Big data is showing success in many areas beyond this, and the amount of this success will increase in the future. Data will become the most effective weapon in solving any problem. There is no alternative to big data to ensure all kinds of necessary facilities including good health, war projects, and a good environment. Since everyone’s information is being stored from small children to the elderly, it is possible to provide very specific solutions. We are constantly creating a lot of data, and contributing to big data, which is strengthening the possibility of solving this problem. However, at the same time, it is also very dangerous. We are unknowingly giving away sensitive information that can be used against us. We are constantly being targeted, and my privacy is becoming more fragile.
