The Data Revolution: Big Data, Open Data, Data Infrastructures and Their Consequences

We are in the middle of a data revolution; organizations and individuals are increasingly looking to make use of the vast quantities of data that are now being captured and shared. Businesses and research organizations are increasingly mining a wide variety of data for valuable insights: data from the content and trails we leave behind online; data from the electronic transactions that are an integral part of our everyday lives; and data from sensors and scientific equipments that are continuously gathering information. Data have gone from being scarce to being a deluge, and the change has been accompanied by evangelistic proclamations of the potential of Big Data for new approaches to research and decision-making processes. The technologies underlying Big Data have developed rapidly, and just as rapidly some discussions have gone from inflated expectations to disillusionment. In The Data Revolution Rob Kitchin strives for a more balanced discussion of the data deluge and its implications.

The Data Revolution starts with a discussion of the concept of data itself, an essential yet often overlooked part of the discussion. Chapters 2-5 consider the emerging data system from small data to open, linked and Big Data, and the drivers and reasons for the changes. Chapter 6 provides an overview of the techniques that are being applied to the analysis of Big Data, and Chapter 7 gives the rationale for Big Data from government and industry perspectives. Chapter 8 considers the impact of Big Data on research and the scientific process. Chapters 9 and 10 consider some of the issues that still need to be addressed: technical, ethical, social and political. Finally, Chapter 11 reflects on the issues raised throughout the book and the importance of future works in the field, taking a more comprehensive approach.

Kitchin provides an even-handed discussion of the implications of the data deluge that I can wholeheartedly recommend. Despite being a relatively short book, it is broad in its discussions, drawing on a wide range of literature from different disciplines. One hopes that it will be read in an equally wide range of disciplines, as realizing the potential of Big Data should not be left to the technologists alone, but requires a wider interdisciplinary approach.

The Data Revolution will be of interest to anyone with a passing interest in issues around Big Data and its future, which should include all of those in the information profession.