Strata 2013 Chair Alistair Croll discussed the day’s highlights in theCube, focusing on trends, interesting facts and issues involving Big Data, and a roundup of what has been going on at the conference (full video below).

While using data is not a new concept, Big Data is actually new. Croll explained that what seemed utterly impossible and very expensive a couple of decades ago, is now not only doable, but also affordable. Tapping into Big Data currently allows for business decisions and strategies such as improving aircraft fuel efficiency or deciding where to hire nurses to work the longest.

Summarizing EMI’s attempts at using data, Croll concluded that it is easier to start with a relatively small data analysis initiative, and due to the results and insights, people will want more. Thus by making use of new data, one can get a company interested into tapping into the massive amounts of historical data they store and get value for their business.

Alistair Croll also predicted that, following the patterns of shifts in the cloud market where early adopters made room for the main stream players, traditional Business Intelligence vendors will soon adopt Big Data.  Currently, data implies a fundamental shift – after decades where data was sent to the machine, “now I send the computer to the data.”

Quoting a recent experience, analyzing data takes an insignificant data from the time it takes to upload and store it and then access it to get the needed insights. After spending weeks to upload massive amounts of data, customers don’t want to move it. That is why moving and the transfer of data across the network will be a major focal point for the industry.

The now parallel systems of operational databases and analytical databases is what Croll deems “the big fight for the next year,” predicting the two will converge.

The Best of Big Data in 2013: what Croll is watching

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In a round up of what was hot at Strata, Croll mentioned EA’s presentation about how video game data is being use. While they play, “humans leave a bread crumb shell” that is worth analyzing. Other than determining customer behavior, in-game gathered data has many other practical appliances, such as rearchitecting cities based on places people tend to get stuck in a game.

Interactive data displays are also interesting to watch. “When you are watching a machine, it watches you back,” therefore interacting with technology actually provides insight and allows for behavioral analysis.

Looking at the use cases highlighting where the industry needs to be, Croll mentioned mobile interfaces. The best apps are those that one does not notice until they need them. Such an application would be an app telling the user when to hurry up to get to a meeting because there is a traffic jam on the way, for example. In order for Big Data to help create useful applications, there is a great need for context. Mobile apps that interrupt wisely, based on context given by Big Data, are not annoying, they are actually helpful.

“80 percent of data science is cleaning the stuff up,” he expalined. Speaking of LinkedIn and their advances, Alistair Croll pointed out the social network was “doing data science before people knew about it.” LinkedIn excels in being better than others in recognizing the multitude of signals that need to be taken into consideration – it’s not just about the available data, it’s also about the information that’s missing, the actions not taken.

Expanding on the concept of context in Big Data, Croll pointed out at a future evolution toward situational awareness. As an example, apps would react differently depending on what the user is doing – walking, driving, sitting, adapting to the current situation.

See Croll’s entire segment below: