Big Data is made up of lots of little data: numbers entered into cell                 phones, addresses entered into GPS devices, visits to websites, online purchases,                 ATM transactions, and any other activity that leaves a digital trail. Although the                 abuse of Big Data -- surveillance, spying, hacking -- has made headlines, it                 shouldn't overshadow the abundant positive applications of Big Data. In                 Reality Mining, Nathan Eagle and Kate Greene cut through the hype                 and the headlines to explore the positive potential of Big Data, showing the ways in                 which the analysis of Big Data ("Reality Mining") can be used to improve                 human systems as varied as political polling and disease tracking, while considering                 user privacy.Eagle, a recognized expert in the field, and Greene,                 an experienced technology journalist, describe Reality Mining at five different                 levels: the individual, the neighborhood and organization, the city, the nation, and                 the world. For each level, they first offer a nontechnical explanation of data                 collection methods and then describe applications and systems that have been or                 could be built. These include a mobile app that helps smokers quit smoking; a                 workplace "knowledge system"; the use of GPS, Wi-Fi, and mobile phone data                 to manage and predict traffic flows; and the analysis of social media to track the                 spread of disease. Eagle and Greene argue that Big Data, used respectfully and                 responsibly, can help people live better, healthier, and happier lives.

Reality mining : using big data to engineer a better world PDF

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