Big data can be used for more than money

Big Data is the favored tool for corporations around the world. Most often used to gather information on consumers and narrow down trends, Big Data allows businesses to hone their marketing techniques and better locate their target audience – all with the aim to increase profits. However, since the modern age relies so heavily on data, Big Data offers greater insights, more accurate details, and more readily available information to anyone who can harness it. This means that, while it certainly makes big money, many other organizations have been using its fast and efficient data-gathering abilities for purposes beyond making themselves a buck.

Here are three ways Big Data is being used for more than simply profits:

1. Broader and More Accurate Field Research.

Endangered species have always been at risk from humanity’s lack of knowledge, whether it’s in regards to their habits or their habitats. A similar issue arises when biologists do not possess the manpower or the equipment to manually survey the wildlife, robbing them of valuable insights and new discoveries.  With Big Data, that is an issue of the past. Field Researchers can place equipment to gather audio and video footage of the area, and then place this data in a great pool. Here, Big Data will find patterns within the vast array of data, isolate them, and deliver them to the experts for analysis.

This allows biologists to discover how many times an endangered animal has moved through the area, analyze new migration patterns, recognize new habitats, and gather a host of other vital information. Big Data then eliminates the funds, the greater amount of time, and the extreme amount of manpower that would be required to gather this same data manually, making the entire process faster, more efficient, and more trustworthy. Nonetheless, this would not eliminate typical fieldwork, as people offer creativity and diverse knowledge to identify and study animals; it simply broadens the reach and speed.

2. Nature Preservation.

While biologists are learning more about animal species, both endangered and not, Big Data is also helping protect forests and natural preserves. The Jane Goodall Institute has always taken measures against deforestation and the declining population of chimpanzees, and Big Data has made this mission even more possible. The Institute developed an app and a community of nature enthusiasts tasked with monitoring the preserves and reporting damage against both the forest and the animals.

Should a passing visitor see a tree that has been cut down, they can take a picture, upload the coordinates to the app’s cloud, and this information can be placed in the database. With so much dizzying information, Big Data is then used to once again sift through and isolate patterns, allowing the professionals to monitor and apply protection to areas that are threatened the most.

Big Data doesn’t have to mean big profits, but it’s abilities to reach a broader market and hone marketing plans has helped many good causes receive the attention they need. Statistics show that 56% of people who donate to an organization with either their time or money do so because of something they saw or read on social media. Big Data gathers information about target audiences and equips members of the organization with the insights they need to tailor their approach to the public, encouraging people to donate, volunteer, and spread awareness of the nonprofit organization. This ability has allowed Big Data to help charities receive much more support, that in turn can offer greater support to others.

Conclusion:

Big data has no doubt had a huge impact on the way businesses can approach their audiences and assess information. However, with as much monetary potential it offers, one cannot deny that is not its primary function. Greater techniques and tools are being applied to make Big Data more far-reaching, posing the question of: how long will it take for Big Data to have influence over every portion of our lives? Since knowledge is power, and Big Data offers unlimited knowledge at an incredible rate, it stands to reason that it will only continue to influence the condition of nature, animals, and people alike for the better.