Data is becoming available to academic researchers, policy researchers and policymakers in ever increasing volumes, which brings with it questions over how such data is collected and stored, how and by whom it is analysed, and how it is used.
From social media contact networks that might yield valuable information on terrorist cells and their supporters, to trends identified in crime data that could improve understanding of how crimes are committed, to health surveillance systems that could give early warning of chemical, biological and radiological attacks or natural outbreaks of serious infectious disease, such data is only of use if it can be effectively processed, analysed and acted upon. The ability to do this depends not only on the technology, but also on the interface between that technology and the human operator, the skillset of the human operator, and the ethical and legal framework surrounding the collection of the data, how it is stored and who can use it.
A RUSI (Royal United Services Institute) conference on March 7 will explore trends within Big Data, and ask how the academic and research community can ensure current and future policy makers are able to take full advantage of the opportunities available. Making the most of Big Data depends not only on the technologists but also on analysts and researchers, who need to know how to ask the right questions to ensure the most appropriate data is captured, modeled and interrogated to ensure that the best intelligence is extracted from it.
This conference is open to academia and the public sector only – registrations will only be accepted from .ac.uk or public sector email addresses.
Event manager: Emily Callaghan, +44 (0)20 7747 2619.
