Big Data: Slow Down, Think
July 25, 2015
i read “Contradictions of Big Data.” Few articles which I see take a common sense approach to Big Data baloney. (Azure chip consultants bristle at my use of baloney. Too bad.) I liked this article.
The article appeared in my Overflight a day ago even though the write up was posted in March 2015. Big Data does not mean rapid data.
I highlighted this passage:
have been waging an uphill battle against the nonsensical and unsubstantiated idea that more data is better data, but now this view is getting some additional support, and from some surprising corners.
I do not agree. The yap about Big Data has almost overpowered the craziness of search engine optimization’s shouting about semantic search.
The write up points out:
Take it from me [Martyn Jones] , most businesses will not be basing their business strategies on the analysis of a glut of selfies, home videos of cute kittens, or the complete works of William Shakespeare or Dan Brown. Almost all business analysis will continue to be carried out on structured data obtained primarily from internal operational systems and external structured data providers.
The write up points out the silliness of velocity and several other slices of marketing baloney. (Make a sandwich, please.)
I found this paragraph insightful:
I have seen data scientists at work, and the word science doesn’t actually jump out and grab you. It’s difficult to make the connection, just as it is to accurately connect some popular science magazines with fundamental scientific research. If a professional and qualified statistician wants to label themselves a data scientist then I have no issue with that, it’s their problem, but I am not willing to lend credibility to the term ‘data scientist’ when it is merely an interesting job title, with at most a tenuous connection to the actual role, and one that is liberally applied, with the almost customary largesse of IT, to creative code hackers and business-averse dabblers in data.
Harsh words for those who combine an undergraduate degree minor in math with Twitter and come up with data scientist.
Hopefully other will pick up this practical approach to the sliced and processed meat wrapped in plastic and branded Big Data.
Stephen E Arnold, July 25, 2015
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