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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Marr, Bernard.
Big data: using smart big data, analytics and metrics to make better decisions and improve performance / Bernard Marr.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-118-96583-2 (pbk.)
1. Information technology – Management. 2. Big data. 3. Management – Statistical methods.
4. Decision making – Statistical methods. I. Title.
HD30.2.M3744 2015
658.4′0380285574 – dc23
2014040562
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-118-96583-2 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-118-96582-5 (ebk) ISBN 978-1-118-96578-8 (ebk)
Cover Design: Wiley
Cover Image: ©iStockphoto.com/marigold_88
INTRODUCTION: WELCOME TO A SMARTER WORLD
The world is getting smarter.
This evolution can be seen everywhere and no industry or sector is immune. Consider an industry as old and well established as fishing, for example. Although human beings have been fishing since the beginning it wasn't until the 16th century that fisherman had boats capable of going to sea. This advance radically changed the fortunes of fishing and made large, profitable catches possible for the first time. The ships would set out for the fishing grounds using little more than a compass, a sextant and some ‘inside knowledge’ passed down through the generations of fishing families. If they were sailing at night they would use celestial navigation techniques and plot a course by the stars in order to arrive in the right vicinity. When the fisherman arrived at the fishing grounds they would cast their nets and hope for the best.
By the late 19th century fishing had been commercialized. Small fishing boats gave way to massive trawlers with on-board processing capabilities, the discovery of longitude and latitude made navigation considerably easier and in the last few decades technology has transformed fishing from an art to a science. Modern fishing boats are technology rich, using high tech navigation systems and GPS. Often small sensors are attached to the fish to track where the shoals are at any given time and sonar is used to pinpoint the density of the shoal and where and when to cast the nets. Modern fisherman know where the fish are, they know where they will be tomorrow and when to cast their nets for the best possible catch of their target fish. Fishing has evolved to become smarter. And it is just one example. Today the world is smarter in everything from sport's performance to healthcare in the home. Even love and parenting is becoming smarter!
Smarter sport
Smart technology is now widely used in sport to find and recruit talent as well as monitor and improve performance – both for the amateur and the professional. It's now possible to get a basketball with over 200 built-in sensors that provide player and coaches with detailed feedback on performance. In tennis a system called SlamTracker can record a player's performance providing real-time statistics and comprehensive match analytics. If you've ever watched rugby (union or league) you may have wondered what the bump is between the players' shoulder blades – it's a GPS tracking system that allows the coaching staff to assess performance in real time. The device will measure the players' average speed, whether the player is performing above or below their normal levels, and heart rate, to identify potential problems before they occur. All of which can help coaches avoid injury and assist in making appropriate substitution decisions. Similar technology exists in the English Premier League and is used by many Olympic sports such as cycling.
But the technology is not just for the professionals. There are many wearable devices that can monitor health and well-being on the go. For example I wear an ‘Up’ fitness band that tells me how many steps I have taken each day, how many calories I've burned and how well I've slept each night. It is synced to my bathroom scales so that if I put on weight it will tell me and prompt me to increase my activity or decrease my food intake.
Smarter health
Healthcare is also becoming smarter and it's set to revolutionize our lives.
Professor Larry Smarr, one of the most influential computer scientists in the United States and the most monitored man on the planet was able to self-diagnose Crohn's disease – long before any symptoms emerged and early enough to be able to effectively manage the condition. Smarr states:
‘In a world in which you can see what you are doing to yourself as you go along the hope is that people will take more personal responsibility for themselves, in keeping themselves healthy. So it's almost like we are at day zero of a whole new world of medicine, and what will come out the other end is a far healthier society that's focused on wellness rather than fixing sickness when it's way too late.’1
This ability to monitor our own health heralds a new and exciting frontier of preventative medicine based on data.
We
