BIG DATA — THEN AND NOWWhat we can learn from ‘the Ancients’

The ‘Data Lake’ of Antiquity ■The library at Alexandria

was the center of data in the ancient world

■Created in 300 BC by Ptolemy II of Egypt

■People from around the known world would congregate and spend their entire lives studying

The Ancients Are Alive and Well■ Euclid’s Geometry is taught

even today■ Ptolemy’s Geography was the

most relevant and complete till the renaissance

■ Eratosthenes, using the shadow of the sun at the summer solstice, calculated the circumference of the earth

■ The Ancients knew the importance of Big Data for ‘Big Answers’

So What Are the 'Big Questions' of Today?■What are the building

blocks of the Universe?■ Can genomics help improve

the health of mankind?■What is the future of our

planet?■ Can we solve world

hunger?■ Can we survive climate

change?

The Quest Hasn’t Changed — CERN■Modern day example of

Big Data at work■CERN made the world

wide web available to all of humanity

■The Large Hadron Collider collects data on a massive scale — one experiment can provide data for more that 140 countries

Exome Aggregation Consortium■ Created a behemoth in the

world of genetic data bases■ Aim to identify genetic

mutations and improve cures and disease prevention

■ DNA sequencing data from more than 60,000 people facilitates the study of genetic variation

■ It’s data and services are available to a variety of projects and its data is available to the public

National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center

■A high performance computer facility for scientific research

■ It is the primary scientific computing facility for the departments of science and energy in the US

■Facilitates the study of more than 6000 scientists researching a variety of ‘Big Questions’

Brookings Think Tank■More than a century old with one of the largest budgets

among think tanks at more than 95 million USD■Has more than 300 leading experts all over the world■ Three broad goals

■ Strengthen American democracy■ Foster the economic and social welfare, security, and

opportunity of all Americans■ Secure a more open, safe, prosperous, and cooperative

international system

Conclusion■ Big Data today dwarfs what Alexandria could have ever aspired to be■ All the information in the ‘Data Lake’ of antiquity would now

comfortably fit in an underwhelming 500 GB■ Most of the legendary library was lost to time and scholars and

archeologists have devoted their lives to sifting through the remnants

■ However, now information is much more durable and easily disseminated

■ ‘Data Lakes’ today have greater resources and stronger technology■ But the goal remains the same: let there be light for those who seek

it and data for those who need it

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