Big data is attracting plenty of hype – what should local government do with it?
Here are five thoughts to help hone your approach.
1. Big data is not a helpful term – for a start nobody can really define it. It hovers uncomfortably between being defined literally (i.e. a lot of data – though it is unclear how many gigabytes, terabytes or petabytes actually qualify as big data) and as a movement. In either case it is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Ever since the Romans conducted a census to aid tax collection in Britain, Governments have been using data to help them manage more effectively. Using data – even lots of it – is nothing new.
Want full article access?
Receive The MJ magazine each week and gain access to all the content on this website with a subscription.
Full website content includes additional, exclusive commentary and analysis on the issues affecting local government.
Already a subscriber? Login