Skip to main content

FutureLearn Week 2: Post 1 of 4

Open data has been increasing for some time now with data being made open on various sites globally. There are many advantages to having open data, these advantages include being able to share public data sets so that they can be compared. These open data sources can also be used for environmental purposes or even health issues. Disadvantages of open data would include the fact that the site providing the data would be inherently biased and formed in the opinion of the creator.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Post 11: (Question 7) Limitations of traditional data analysis

As with all things there will always come limitations to data analysis due to the fact that it is created by humans and is subsequently subject to human error. Some of the limitations that you may come across would be that the data may be incomplete, whether it be missing values, or lack of a section of necessary data. This could severely limit the data's usability. Survey data can also be scrutinised due to the human component. People do not always provide accurate information through surveys and many are likely to not answer truthfully. For example if a person were asked how much alcohol they consume within a week they are likely to say less than their actual intake. 

Post #2: History of Big Data

Big Data has been described by some Data Management pundits (with a bit of a snicker) as “huge, overwhelming, and uncontrollable amounts of information.” In 1663, John Graunt dealt with “overwhelming amounts of information” as well, while he studied the bubonic plague, which was currently ravaging Europe. Graunt used statistics and is credited with being the first person to use statistical data analysis. In the early 1800's, the field of statistics expanded to include collecting and analysing data. The evolution of Big Data includes a number of preliminary steps for its foundation, and while looking back to 1663 isn’t necessary for the growth of data volumes today, the point remains that “Big Data” is a relative term depending on who is discussing it. Big Data to Amazon or Google is very different than Big Data to a medium-sized insurance organisation, but no less “Big” in the minds of those contending with it. Such foundational steps to the modern conception of...