Big Data, Open Data and Data Development

Key Concepts

Before launching into the main text of this book, we have found it pertinent to recall the definitions of some key concepts. Needless to say, the following list is not exhaustive:

• – Big Data: The term Big Data is used when the amount of data that an organization has to manage reaches a critical volume that requires new technological approaches in terms of storage, processing, and usage. Volume, speed, and variety are usually the three criteria used to qualify a database as “Big Data”.
• – Cloud computing: This term designates a set of processes that use computational and/or storage capacities from remote servers connected through a network, usually the Internet. This model allows access to the network on demand. Resources are shared and computational power is configured according to requirements.
• – Competitive intelligence: It is the set of coordinated information gathering, processing and dissemination activities useful for economic actors. According to the Marte Report, competitive intelligence can be defined as the set of coordinated information research, processing and dissemination actions aimed at exploiting it for the purpose of economic actors. This diverse set of actions is carried out legally with all data protection guarantees necessary to preserve the company’s assets, with the highest regard to quality, deadlines and cost. Useful information is needed at the company or partnership’s different decision-making levels in order to design and put into place ...