1 September 2017
Big
Data - do you know what it is?
It’s an important part of the work that our
Data Science Hub do, but do you
know what big data is, and the role it might play in helping advance our
healthcare systems?
Whilst conceptually complex, put very
simply, the term ‘big data’ describes the very large volumes of data - both structured and unstructured - that
organisations are now capable of gathering. There are many technological
challenges associated with ‘big data’ - for example data capturing and storage,
data analysis, data sharing (sometimes between public and private systems),
data transfer and updates, and data privacy - but where organisations are able to digitally harness such
comprehensive data towards understanding and redressing everyday societal
problems, there is widespread recognition of the great benefits that might be
reaped.
Data Science Hub lead Dr Thomas Monks
believes “most people will have heard
about big data, but most people are also scared about it and don’t necessarily
understand how we can use it to improve healthcare systems.” Certainly, to
solve some of societies’ big problems, big efforts and innovations are
necessary; with the significant sums of money invested in such innovations,
there’s a real drive to ensure that the associated results are evidenced as far
as is feasible. This is where big data comes in.
Read more about big data and how
it’s changing healthcare here, and here’s a link to an associated
article ‘Quantified self to
quantified health: how tech helps doctors fill gaps in patient records’.
We would be pleased to hear from you if you are interested in becoming involved in our research and implementation.
How can I get involved?