August 6, 2019

All You Need to Know About the Relationship Between Big Data and IoT

by Dhiram Shah

The number of devices able to access the internet is increasing daily. Consequently, more data is generated by these devices and then collected for analysis purposes. The data is analyzed to uncover hidden patterns and learn new trends that can impact our lives positively. Data analysis can also help you come up with solutions to the problems you are facing.

Big data and IoT have recently been major topics of discussion. They are completely different, but it’s like one cannot exist without the other. You can hardly mention big data without talking about the IoT. So what is the fuss all about? Before we look at that, let us first understand the two terms.

Big data
Big data existed before IoT, although they seem to work better together now. Big data refers to large amounts of data that is structured or unstructured, and once analyzed, it can be used to make actionable insights.

Internet of things (IoT)
IoT does not just refer to a collection of smartphones. It can be any device that can be connected to the internet. This can include cars, watches, and phones. In most cases, these devices are connected to the internet, meaning that data can be constantly collected any time. This data is then transferred to cloud sources where it can be analyzed in real-time to create solutions.

Data is everything in today’s world. Be it the government or business sectors, both are dependent on data. The government needs data about its people and even the economy while the business sector needs the data to understand how they are performing.

If data is analyzed well, it can boost your business a great deal. Data science experts from professional firms such as ActiveWizards can help you analyze your data for meaningful insights.

Bringing big data and IoT together
As stated earlier, the number of devices that can be connected to the internet keeps growing. As it keeps on rising, we also need new infrastructures and technology that can hold all of the data that is generated. This technology should also examine the data in real-time.
Big data and IoT now go hand in hand. IoT devices are responsible for generating tons of data collected every day. Technology has helped with the creation of big data analytic tools that can not only store but also analyze the data streaming continuously from IoT devices.

The difference between the two is that IoT generates the data which then will be examined by big data analytic tools to deduce meaningful insights. It is important to note that data generated by IoT devices is so extensive that the analytic tools must be equal to the task when it comes to processing and accurate extraction.

The IoT devices and big data work together
There are several practical cased where big data and IoT have successfully been used together. An example is in the logistics industry in fleet management. Delivery vehicles can be fitted with sensors which can then generate data on the engine health, speed, mileage, and the fuel consumed per mile.

The agriculture sector has not been left out, either. Systems can be fitted on the fields which can measure the moisture content in the soil and then communicate the information to the farmers. This allows the farmers to maintain the required moisture levels in the fields.

Conclusion
The relationship between big data and IoT will even get stronger. The number of devices with access to internet connectivity keeps on rising while there are big data analytic tools that can handle the information generated by the IoT devices. Given that the two work perfectly well together, organizations are looking for ways to utilize them to the maximum.