Overview
Data analytics has become pervasive in every facet of our lives—politics (the prediction of election results), business (targeted social media advertising, supply chain management, propensity-to-buy models), health care (the identification of epidemics and market efficiencies in delivery), education (individualized lesson plans based on not just performance but attendance, eating habits, and social interaction), and more.Data centers have grown exponentially, and volume is now measured in petabytes and exabytes (with zettabytes and yottabytes on the horizon). The sheer magnitude of information in the age of big data will require new effective methods of retrieval, innovative storage techniques, and a critical need for those who can translate this data into takeaways for individuals, organizations, and businesses.