Big Data

Big data is the use of specialized computing techniques to locate patterns in and derive meaning from large and complex data sets. One of the most cited definitions of big data is a 2001 Gartner report that emphasized the volume, veracity, and variety of big data. Volume refers to the sheer size of the data, velocity to the exponential rate at which it reproduces, and variety to its nonlinear, multidimensional diversity of representations. While some definitions stress the complexity, computing power, and prediction capacity of big data, others add a fourth dimension to Gartner's definition—veracity, to emphasize its ambiguity and unreliability. There are several uses and outcomes of big data in the field of health communication.