How Big Data Is Creeping Into My Life

Before I Knew The World Of Big Data

Before I knew the world of Big Data, Big Data was creeping into my life. I will give 9 examples of how Big Data is entering my life and there is nothing I can do about it, isn’t it? I could give a lot more examples, but with these 9 I draw a good overview of how Big Data is affecting daily life. Big Data is here to stay. It can help society further if used good. Which means Privacy and Ethics is guarded and high on the agenda.

Surveys & Big Data

These days surveys are more and more used to measure something. At first in surveys almost everything was asked to the person filling in the survey. After the privacy law was introduced, more and more surveys are to the point and only asking the necessary to for example better the service in a shop or to change something in a neighborhood in the benefit of the once living, working or recreating in that neighborhood. Surveys done on paper are mostly anonymous, because the survey is handed out on location and collected there. No personal questions. With the privacy rules the online surveys have to be anonymous also even when collected via panels.

Mobile Apps & Big Data

Apps started on mobiles for me at least. Nowadays apps are also found on tablets, laptops and other electronic devices. Each app determines their own privacy rights, which means I have to guard my own Privacy. How to solve this I don’t know yet! I have to agree with the rules of the app to use it. An example I would love to use is Pressread in combination with my library membership. For this I have to connect with their Wi-Fi which is a bit tricky, because I am using the same device for my work. How is the app Pressread going to affect my device when it is open to use all kinds of WI-FI in my benefit to read papers online? Can I assume that the Wi-Fi of the library is safe enough to use on my device and it won’t affect data I have on this device?

Groceries & Big Data

I am a fan of online groceries but use it scarcely. I like that I can browse through the shop on my ‘gemak’ and I can shop for groceries on a set amount on for hand. There is one thing I don’t like when my groceries are brought, that the delivery is talking to my neighbors and my meat gets unfrozen in the meantime, bacteria.

House Paint & Big Data

I love that my local ‘bouwmarkt’ can make any color of house paint I want from basic primary colors. I set the color and amount in my order and a few hours later or a day later it rolls out of the paint making machinery. This wouldn’t be possible without Big Data, because the color numbers and the amount of each primary color needed is in the machinery and also the ‘bouwmarkt’ knows when one of the primary colors have to be ordered before it is out of stock and can’t make the paint colors anymore. I can also just repeat the paint colors I need the next time.

COVID & Big Data

With COVID the need for online data was a must. Everything was about getting a healthy population by stopping the spread of COVID. And now after it is ‘tamed’ Privacy and Ethics should emerge as important. How to protect the data collected already? And how to protect the data collection next time while taming a big spread by keeping Privacy and Ethics in sight? Big questions that need answers fast.

Public Transport & Big Data

I am happy that I can use my OV-pass on all public transport in The Netherlands. I can see after about a day where I traveled and how much it costs. One public transport system surprised me by advising me unasked which OV-pass kind I needed. It was good advice; Did I sign for this somewhere in the privacy rights I agree with when buying my OV-pass? How else is the public transport using my data? Data is needed to plan routes and frequency, I benefit from this.

Travel & Big Data

In the newspaper I read that Schiphol is cancelling flights. People on those flights need to be informed by the travel agency or flight company the ticket was bought. The cancellations are big, not just a few people that need to be called. Who is going to call? How is my privacy protected? My number, name and flight details are combined. There are rules about these kinds of data, because its personal data!

The Library & Big Data

The library is imitating bol.com and Amazon if I want them to. In my membership I can thick the box recommend books in the collections that are the same as the ones I read before. I like that I can thick the box, which means the Big Data is no earlier combined than when I ask for it. I can also uncheck the box.

Post & Big Data

The post delivery service is all online now. I can track and trace my parcel. Some post delivery services are so good that I can change the delivery point or the delivery time. This means I don’t have to stay at home all day to wait for my parcel. I can just pick up my parcel on my way home from a delivery point, how convenient!

Life & Big Data

There are more Big Data collectors in my life and probably in life of all Dutch people. In the blog 'What is Big Data?' I give a few more examples of how Big Data is integrated in daily life.

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