How big data will help manage a world of 7 billion people
November 7, 2011 - 00:43 — wish
Last week, we passed the 7 billion people mark of the world's population. (The BBC created an interactive tool where you can find out where you fit into 7 billion, based on your birthday.) This article predicts that this rapid population growth will change the way populations use resources, and that we will need to use analytics of big data to manage the resources and how we deliver them to the populations of the world that need them. The article highlight eight ways in which big data and analytics are already being used for managing resources.
One example of this is Space-Time Insight, a startup that sells information about geospatial data to utilities and gas and oil companies. The geospatial data is merged with Google maps so that these utility companies can monitor their resources in real time. California's Independent System Operator Corporation is able to visualize its power grid in real time by getting updates by the millisecond.
Another instance is a group of Harvard researchers who are using data they collect from cell phone use in developing countries to analyze the needs of 1 billion people who live in the slums. They are also using big data collected from cell phones to predict food shortages and crime sprees due to causal events, such as climate change.
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