Big, Big Data

In the past few years, data science has become more and more of a prominent topic in today’s society. It is ultimately what the foundation of this blog is built upon. However, people sometimes forget just what data is and what it could be. 

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines data as “information in digital form that can be transmitted or processed”. It is, of course, not a very broad definition but an accurate one nonetheless. 

This then begs the question, what do we define as information? 

Well, the answers are almost endless. Information and thus data can be crafted from almost anything you can imagine. Look around your room or wherever else you are and you’ll see just how much data you can find. The shape and dimensions of your room that make up the floor plan are data, the hexadecimal colors of your walls are data, the temperature, amount of clothes, number of books, and even how long your light has been on are all data.

Because of the limitless possibilities of what we can define data as, there are almost limitless opportunities of what can be done with it. As a result, data science is used not only everywhere, but also for essentially anything. Being able to extract data from a process, a phenomenon, or a company shows us patterns and their subsequent implications on how to maximize efficiency. These days, anyone can use data for virtually anything. For example, corporate enterprises use data to advise investments and realtors use data to help set prices to sell a home. In this way, the possibilities for data science are endless and left up to the human imagination.