Big Data’s Usability Problem

[Commentary]

• As a society, we’re hugely reliant on data management platforms for our most critical information.
• Our core data platforms often aren’t set up to handle human error, from basic coding flaws to spelling mistakes.
• The wealth of data in our data tools can mask that human error. Consider: The Reinhart-Rogoff study examined “new data on forty-four countries spanning about two hundred years” with “over 3,700 annual observations covering a wide range of political systems, institutions, exchange rate arrangements, and historic circumstances.”
• In such a wide sea of data, a few lines of code can be very easy to overlook, even if they have strong ramifications for analysis. There are lots of things to take away from these three points, but I’ll just focus on one: The promise of Big Data is that it can make every day processes — from critical analyses to mundane tasks — work smarter through data intelligence. Ultimately, all that data management translates into an economy and society that lets machines handle the minutiae as humans think through the larger picture.

[Wise is CEO of Mediaocean]