Surprise! Not only can big data save your business, but also it can save the world

Article By: Robert Stein Date: December 10, 2013

Big data is all the hype these days in the IT world; the analysis yielded from data mining can be invaluable. The first announcement of the day here at HP Discover 2013 in Barcelona, Spain is one I didn’t expect – how technology can help improve the environment.  Last year, HP announced its partnership with Conservation International, a transformative organization that protects natural wealth, fosters effective governance and works with businesses to protect the environment. Via the partnership, HP committed to CI to use its technologies in leveraging big data to improve environmental insight through analysis never done before. The results of the partnership are now in, and resulting impact is much greater than expected.

Through the HP Vertica Analysis technology platform and other HP technologies, the company was able to create Earth Insight – an early warning detection system that supports conservation efforts in tropical rainforests worldwide. Additionally, HP engineers developed a dashboard to provide analysis on the platform called the WPI (Wildlife Picture Index Analytics System).  The system, connected via cameras, waits for animals to walk in front of the camera and then a photo is taken. The photos are the key – animals in the photos are analyzed and tracked over time, showing which animal populations are increasing and decreasing. In addition to the photos, climate metrics are also being measured, such as temperature, humidity, precipitation, etc.  So far, they have collected over 1.4 million photos and three million data points, which comprise over 3 terabytes of data. 

The insight delivered from the analysis is proving tremendously important. For example, of the 275 species the system is monitoring, 22% of the species are now showing a population decline. Some particular species, such as the Western Gorilla, have been particularly hard hit. With this new knowledge, environmental scientists can develop strategies to counteract this decline and help reverse the trends.

The Takeaway

If big data applications can be used in these complex ecosystems in remote areas of the world, many opportunities exist for businesses today. First, have a plan. One of the problems with big data is just that – it is big. Plan out what data you will monitor, how and where. Second, technology is pivotal. Having the right technologies are important not only to collect the data, but also to mine and analyze the data as well. Even if you have an accurate data pool with a lot of good and relevant data, if you do not have the proper business intelligence tools in place to provide insight into the data your efforts will prove futile.  Lastly, don’t bite off more than you can chew. While saving the world is great, you do not need to go that far for your business. Choose areas that will be most impactful and start there. Once you have a process is established, you will soon reap the rewards of the good business decisions derived from the knowledge and insight of your big data.

See Also:

http://wpi.teamnetwork.org/wpi
http://www8.hp.com/hpnext/posts/harnessing-big-data-drive-environmental-progress-hp-earth-insights-develops-early-warning

 

 

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