Content about big data

Researchers in Switzerland have taken inspiration from fossils to discover how DNA could be used to reliably store data for over two million years. They stored 83 kilobytes of data — containing the text from the Swiss Federal Charter of 1291 and the English translation of the Method of Archimedes — on DNA, which was subsequently encapsulated in silica to mimic the protective shell provided by fossilized bone. 

Sometimes solar eruptions have a benign effect, perhaps only creating a spectacular aurora display. But at other times, they can be very dangerous to life on Earth. Stanford solar physicists Monica Bobra and Sebastien Couvidat have developed live forecasting techniques to provide more time to react.

Last week, decision makers and technical experts from the world of IT met in Heidelberg, Germany, for the second ISC Big Data conference. The event focused on a wide range of big data applications and featured discussion of the latest developments in data-centric computing from both major industry players and academic researchers.

Domenico Talia will speak about big-data mining and knowledge discovery at ISC Big Data in Heidelberg, Germany, on 1-2 October. Talia, who is a professor of computer engineering at the University of Calabria in Italy, will explain how cloud computing can offer effective support for addressing both the computational and data-storage needs of big-data mining and parallel analytics applications. In an in-depth interview, he tells iSGTW about his research in this area and argues that it’s time for the public sector to invest in big-data, so as to provide better services to citizens.

The Research Data Alliance (RDA) seeks to build the social and technical bridges that enable open sharing and reuse of data, so as to address the cross-border and cross-disciplinary challenges faced by researchers. This September, the RDA will be hosting its Fourth Plenary Meeting in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Ahead of the event, iSGTW speaks to Gary Berg-Cross, general secretary of the Spatial Ontology Community of Practice and a member of the US RDA advisory committee. Berg-Cross is also co-chair of the RDA working group on data foundation and terminology.

Last week, iSGTW attended the European Grid Infrastructure (EGI) Community Forum 2014 in Helsinki, Finland. The event saw the launch of the EGI Federated Cloud, as well as a range of exciting presentations about how grid and other e-infrastructures are being used to advance excellent science in Europe.

Urban regions around the world are aiming to offer a more efficient, sustainable, and better quality life for their citizens. ICT plays a substantial role in achieving these aims and thus in meeting the growing demand for smarter and more efficient cities.

With global data output growing rapidly, it is vital that researchers come together to build the social and technical bridges required to enable open sharing of research data. The organization charged with achieving this is the Research Data Alliance (RDA), which recently celebrated its first anniversary.

Last month, the RDA held a plenary meeting in Dublin, Ireland. The 497 attendees at the event engaged in discussion on a wide variety of topics, ranging from the role of publishers and persistent identifiers to heritage data and legal interoperability. Data applications discussed also included geospatial information, marine observation, food production, and urban quality of life indicators.

iSGTW speaks to Mark Parsons, who was recently appointed secretary general of the Research Data Alliance. This global organization celebrates its first anniversary next month and will be holding its third plenary meeting in Dublin, Ireland, from 26-28 March, 2014.

Parsons tells iSGTW why it is important for researchers to share their data and explains how the RDA is seeking to harness enthusiasm within the community to bring about a 'culture change' in the way researchers deal with data. He also argues that the greatest barriers to increased data sharing are often social, rather than technical.

Research at CERN featured prominently in discussion at ISC Big Data ’13, which was held last week in Heidelberg, Germany. The event focused on the future of handling big data, as well as big data as a crossroads where high-performance computing and enterprise meet.