The Mayans had predicted it, saying that
December 21, 2012 would be the end of a cycle because the information would
flow faster than what we could interpret.
"The Big Data allows to identify
patterns and trends from a large number of data produced on real time, continuously
and from a various sources" (Nieuwbourg, Philippe). It helps stakeholders
to customize their offer and to analyze their online reputation from their
presence in social media. As such, the Big Data improves the competitiveness of
businesses on condition that users know how to interpret the data.
With the development of devices ( 2008
birth of the iPhone, 2013 iPhone has 4G and wifi, ipad is born, and the number
of laptops sold exploded, which mean 3 devices per person) and the explosion of
Internet, we are more connected and therefore we hinder phenomenal data volumes.
We have entered the era of Big Data, implying the analysis of large-scale data.
Large Web 2.0 firms were the first to face this phenomenon and to find
solutions. Then it has impacted web specialists (Yahoo, Google, etc..), e-commerce
(e-Bay, Amazon, etc..) and social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc.).
To read and analyze Big Data, the company has
to master a set of technologies, tools and processes to store, create,
manipulate, manage and analyze very quickly - even in real time - these large
amounts of data and the heterogeneous contents to extract relevant information for
decision making. But it seems that the use of these massive data depend on the
needs and strategy of the company. For example: optimizing processes, understanding
behaviors, capturing trends, analyze opinions, create new market opportunities.
Travel businesses often offer complex,
multi-level service products with inventories that move around the globe (car
hire or cruise are good examples). On top of this, almost all car-hire,
hotels, airlines, cruise and OTAs also use dynamic pricing. This dictates that
travel business models are sometimes harder to manage than normal retail, even
with excellent solutions available on the market. Most travel businesses are
hungry for better data and analytics in order to better forecast, predict and
price. Tourism companies must invest heavily in this area to take advantage of
this information to properly select these customers, transport, ... "Sell
the right product to the right customer at the right price and at the right time"
(yield management)
Challenges for the
coming years
Concerning the future and challenges for 2010-2020,
it seems that Big Data should be seen as THE major challenges of Information
Technology. As experts say, beyond the technical difficulties posed by the
capture and storage of data, understanding and interpreting this mountain of
information requires expertise and experience that cannot be found yet. It has
been estimated a deficit of 140 000 to 190 000 specialists in data analysis by
2018, only to the United States.
Thus, the ability to mobilize resources
and expertise to develop tools, manage and extract relevant information is a
challenge for years to come. Accumulate information is one thing, use it
intelligently is another.
Alexis & Gabriel
No comments:
Post a Comment