Big problem with Big data

Not long ago, we had to creatively generate data to provide information for the formulation of strategies, plans, decisions and public policies. Now that we have swum in the ocean of data, it is everywhere, and almost everything is its source. From GPS signals on mobile phones, video footage from surveillance cameras, power usage, traffic flow, to seemingly endless postings on social media, these and more data sources contributed to big data. According to IBM's statistics, more than 2.5x1018 bytes of information are generated every day, with 90% of the world's data being generated over the past two years.

The American http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/13513.html "> MIT Sensing Urban Laboratory (MIT Senseable City Laboratory) held" Urbancode "Symposium. Participants included research institutions, industry, Asia, Europe, North American government agencies, World Bank representatives, and guests from around the world. We have studied the various aspects and possibilities of metropolitan data, presenting insights (and solutions) for "bad urban problems".

While the participants agreed that large data could help address the challenges facing cities around the world, they were reluctant to acknowledge the big problems posed by big data. Public policy researchers are generally unfamiliar with technology, but they are well aware that all new technologies and solutions will create problems.

Here are five questions identified at the workshop:

The brim of the agenda

The limited space of the Government's agenda determines the number of issues that policymakers can handle each time effectively. Large data will identify the gaps in existing policies and programmes, but it can also raise issues that are not on the agenda and divert potential interest and demand. It is a good thing to deal with these "silent" gaps, but can large data that provide more information optimize the decision-making process, rather than add to the burden, as we expect?

Organizational capabilities

Data is a resource, but they are not information. Translating data into information and knowledge requires organizational capacity, which is lacking in most urban centres around the world. For example, we need a new generation of "data experts" to collect processes and tools to digest and translate large data into information that can be easily understood for urban management, such as ensuring that traffic signals work properly and making important investment decisions about whether a new railway is needed.

Objective data, subjective analysis

The data is objective, however, how to evaluate the data, how to analyze, use is not objective. Quality information does not relieve the pressure on the public or policymakers to make value judgments about the many pressing problems facing the city today. Try to consider the following questions: How much do we want to pay for the level of environmental quality? How safe is security? How Clean Is it? When will housing equality be achieved? Is it acceptable to have an average delay of 3 minutes in a large data transfer operation, but a reminder should be displayed for a delay of 5 minutes?

Public trust

If you are equipped with useful GPS data to get a better understanding of urban traffic, like other people's phones, is this data yours? Where does it go, who owns it, and who's going to guarantee the private rights of your "personal data"? Have your data ever been resold? Will it be used to monitor illegal or bad behavior?

If the public's trust in private and public institutions has declined worldwide, the situation of unrestricted sharing of personal data based on regional economies or for public purposes alone will not last long.

Can big data make us happy?

Large data are generally considered to help public and private institutions to optimize decision-making. But what are the contents of these decisions? Can large data make cities more efficient and ensure environmental sustainability? The answer is yes, but is that enough?

Big Data offers great opportunities to drive innovation and make our cities smarter and more livable. On-going buses, efficient use of energy, the improvement of garbage removal, the balance of land use, etc. are commendable important goals, but large data can do more.

Can we use large data to reflect on how to make urban residents healthier and happier? What is the new method of measuring the quality of life data? In addition to increasing investment and improving existing facilities, how can these data be used to stimulate new policies and programmes?

Big data is not just a chance to do better. It should reset our expectations and let us believe in the great possibilities. When we have the technical capacity to collect, collate, analyze, and visualize data, we should also work on institution building, civic dialogue and policy formulation processes to adapt to the increasingly rich world of new data and to maximize the success of large data.

November 26, 2012: "Us" Huffington Post compiles: The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology international economic and Technical Cooperation Center Jiang Dao Hui

(Responsible editor: The good of the Legacy)