Finding meaning in the dataverse According to IBM, Every day, 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created and 90% of the data in the world today has been created in the last two years alone. For those of us not well-versed in coverting bytes into bite-sized numbers, 2.5 quintillion bytes is 2,500,000,000,000,000,000 (18 zeroes), which is equivalent to 57.5 billion 32 GB iPads. With data coming from everywhere and from everyone, managing information strategies and processes can be overwhelming. IBM experts chunk it down into four dimensions: volume, velocity, variety, and veracity. When it comes to volume, enterprises are awash with ever-growing data of all types, easily amassing terabytes — even petabytes — of information. In terms of velocity, IBM contends that sometimes two minutes may be too late when it comes to analysis. For time-sensitive processes, such as catching fraud, big data must be used as it streams into the enterprise to maximize its value. The variety of data comes in structured and unstructured formats, such as text, sensor data, audio, video, click streams, log files, and more. New insights are found when analyzing these data types together. IBM analysts says one in three business leaders don’t trust the information they use to make decisions. Veracity is central to establishing trust in that big data presents a huge challenge as the variety and number of sources grows. As experts discuss in this month’s forum — Big Data: It’s Not the Volume It’s the Value — with the vast amounts of information now available, companies have the opportunity to find insights in new and emerging types of data and content. Such discovery, IBM experts say, can make businesses more agile and answer questions that were previously considered beyond their reach. Big data was a hot topic at TedMed 2013 (if you haven’t been, put it on your calendar for next year). Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), who is overseeing the work of the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world, spanning the spectrum from basic to clinical research, was one of the many inspiring presenters during TedMed. Dr. Collins inspired the audience with his vision as to how he and a dedicated team of scientists are leading President Obama’s project called BRAIN: Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN). He explained the brain has 100 billion neurons. Each one of those has about 10,000 connections, which means there’s about 1,000 trillion connections inside one’s brain. Neuroscientists hope BRAIN will allow them to map the connections between individual neurons and large circuits of neurons to unlock the secrets behind Alzheimer’s, autism, strokes, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and some psychiatric disorders. With Alzheimer’s affecting 5 million Americans, this too is a number too big to comprehend and a problem in need of big data to solve. Their Word… Denise Myshko Managing Editor Adaptive clinical trial designs have the ­potential to save ­companies time and ­resources and, if done properly, are accepted as appropriate ­alternatives by regulators. Robin Robinson Senior Editor Big data has the power to improve business models in a big way. Kim Ribbink Features Editor As country with an ­advanced ­economy with extensive healthcare coverage and a ­reputation for ­innovation, Israel provides a strong and stable ­environment for life-sciences companies to ­establish and ­develop products and solutions. Coming in July/August 2013 > The Commanders &?Chiefs > The Entrepreneurs > The Change Agents > The Scientists > The Creatives > The Technologists > The Patient Advocates Find out who’s on the list this year. Volume 13 • Number 6 Publisher Lisa Banket Editor Taren Grom Creative Director Marah Walsh Managing EDitor Denise Myshko Senior EDitor Robin Robinson features EDitor Kim Ribbink design associate Ariel Medel national account managerS Trish Kane Cathy Tracy WEBCAST?NETWORK?PRODUCER Daniel Limbach CIRCULATION Assistant Kathy Deiuliis Copyright 2013 by PharmaLinx LLC, Titusville, NJ Printed in the U.S.A. Volume Thirteen, Number Six PharmaVoice (ISSN: 1932961X) is published monthly except joint issues in July/Aug. and Nov./Dec., by ­Pharma­­Linx LLC, P.O.?Box 327, Titusville, NJ 08560. ­Periodicals postage paid at Titusville, NJ 08560 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to PharmaVoice, P.O. Box 292345, Kettering, OH 45429-0345. PharmaVoice Coverage and Distribution: Domestic subscriptions are available at $190 for one year (10 issues). Foreign subscriptions: 10 issues US$360. Contact PharmaVoice at P.O.?Box 327, Titusville, NJ 08560. Call us at 609.730.0196 or FAX your order to 609.730.0197. Contributions: PharmaVoice is not responsible for unsolicited contributions of any type. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, PharmaVoice retains all rights on material published in PharmaVoice for a period of six months after publication and reprint rights after that period expires. E-mail: [email protected]. Change of address: Please allow six weeks for a change of address. Send your new address along with your subscription label to PharmaVoice, P.O. Box 292345, Kettering, OH 45429-0345. Call us at 800.607.4410 or FAX your change to 937.890.0221. E-mail: [email protected]. Important notice: The post office will not forward copies of this magazine. PharmaVoice is not responsible for replacing undelivered copies due to lack of or late notification of address change. Advertising in PharmaVoice: To advertise in Pharma­­Voice please contact our Advertising ­Department at P.O.?Box 327, Titusville, NJ 08560, or ­telephone us at 609.730.0196. E-mail: [email protected]. Send your letters to feedback@pharma­voice.com. Please include your name, title, company, and business phone number. Letters chosen for publication may be edited for length and clarity. All submissions become the property of PharmaLinx LLC.

Download PDF