As the world that we live in continues to advance, so will our technology, and as our technology advances, so does our way of understanding how the world around us works. Have you ever just had a gut feeling that something was going to happen? Have you ever had a consistent gut feeling that something was going to happen and it actually did? Have you ever felt like you can predict what will happen next due to what you have previously observed? If you answered yes to any of the previous questions, then big data isn’t that hard to understand. Basically imagine this: You collect every ounce of data on every single thing that you can think of, and then use that data and analysis to predict the future. A great example that defines big data is collecting data on the relationship between the average color of pants that people wear and temperature and then using that relationship to figure out how much money you should invest in Apple Stocks on that day. Sounds crazy, but it happens all the time.
Let me explain to you why this is so amazing. Disney is a massive company who’s main goal is to operate at maximum output; thus, they have turned to big data collection. When you enter Disney, you are given a wrist band called The Magic Band. The Magic Band collects your locational data, your images that you take, your reservations that you book, and some speculate that it may records the conversations you have/record your temperature. Disney stores all of this data and then makes relationship-based charts that show how something changes another. They then use this information to change the layout of Disney World, the look of Disney World, and the items that they sell. Doing this allows them to cut labor costs as they can predict exactly where they need people to be working at specific times of the day, making jobs more efficient. They can also reduce the amount of materials gone to waste by looking at how much of something is ordered at a certain time on a certain day. For example, if there are 20 burgers ordered from Building A on the first Thursday of the month, then don’t stock too much or else we’ll be in a deficit, or, if the average body temperature of the human beings in Room F is less than 86 degrees change the current background audio track to Track #2 to make the people feel this certain way.
When it comes to manipulating data, big data proves that it is in the lead for impressiveness and usefulness. Companies all around the world have already started using big data to easily predict the future and maximize their outcome. What do you think? Will businesses become too efficient while using big data, and should we allow them to know this much about their customers just to make some extra profits?
Joshing Around 