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The Big (Data) Bang: Policy, Prospects, and Challenges
Author(s) -
McNeely Connie L.,
Hahm Jongon
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
review of policy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.832
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1541-1338
pISSN - 1541-132X
DOI - 10.1111/ropr.12082
Subject(s) - big data , variety (cybernetics) , cornerstone , data science , corporate governance , analytics , set (abstract data type) , data collection , computer science , political science , business , sociology , social science , data mining , art , finance , artificial intelligence , visual arts , programming language
Big data is increasingly the cornerstone on which policy making is based. However, with potential benefits and applications come challenges and dilemmas. In this set of symposium articles, authors examine the promise and problems of big data, exploring associated prospects, risks, parameters, and payoffs from a variety of perspectives. The articles address myriad challenges in the handling of big data sets, such as collection, validation, integrity, and security; ontological issues attending data analytics and conceptual transformations; the foundations of big data collection for social science research; the gap between the acquisition of data and its use to advance discovery and innovation; the costs and benefits of using big data in decision making and analysis; and, finally, related problems of privacy, security, and ethics. Issues such as these will continue to arise with increased use of big data as fundamental to policy making and governance in today's growing information society.