One of Big Data’s strengths is its flexibility and universal application across many different industries. Along with many other areas, Big Data in public safety can significantly impact citizens’ lives.
With so many complex issues at stake today, governments have their hands full, trying to make sense of all the information they receive to make vital decisions that affect millions of people. Incorrect information can have dire consequences.
What Is Big Data
Big Data is a large-volume structured dataset that grows exponentially over time. This is data of such size and complexity that only some traditional data management tools can efficiently store or process it.
There are specific areas of computer science that deal with this (such as data science) and professionals specializing in data science.
A good example is that of social networks. Statistics show that more than 500 terabytes of new data are stored daily in Facebook’s databases. This data is mainly generated regarding photo and video uploads, message exchanges, and posting comments.
This information is used for various data analyses, such as Big Data Analytics, and is very valuable for companies and organizations.
Big Data Applications In The Business Area
Using Big Data in companies changes the perspective of business problems in general. This transforms how managers make their decisions and elaborate their strategies. This allows them to rely on objective data, achieving operational excellence.
A company can build a tremendous competitive advantage and perform risk avoidance if it has good data and the ability to analyze it efficiently and gain valuable insights. In this way, Big Data can be used for business intelligence.
With the Internet of Things, we can capture various data to automate processes. In addition, there are more and more data sources on product usage. Social media themselves can serve this.
The old saying “there are no arguments against facts” expresses the effect of Big Data well. By reducing or eliminating bias in decision-making, you can let the data speak for itself. In this way, we can discover more and better opportunities.
Market environments are constantly evolving, so companies need to adapt faster and make real-time decisions, aiming at continuous improvement.
Thus, Big Data allows the company to decide faster, react faster (being more flexible and respond earlier than before), and act in a predictive way, not only by the trends of the moment but by creating strategies that meet its needs. Business.
Plus, real-time data helps improve customer engagement and retention while increasing employee productivity and job satisfaction. Analyzing data to find the questions that need answers allows you to focus on answering customer needs.
Big Data Applications In Public Safety
A government can access many essential data for its day-to-day functions using a Big Data platform. The positive effect it can have is enormous because it allows the government to identify areas that need attention and provides this information in real time.
Real-time analytics is critical in a society that moves so quickly from one side to the other. It enables public agents to make decisions faster, monitor them, and implement changes agilely when necessary.
Thus, the government can use Big Data to help solve social problems like crime. It makes it possible to identify behavior patterns that can lead to criminal acts, allowing law enforcement authorities to act proactively and preventively.
The information can also be used to detect anomalies and erratic behavior. This can significantly reduce the amount of data that is leaked or stolen. This helps prevent fraud and cybercrime that drain resources that could be used for citizen aid programs.
Using the tool, the police can cross-check various information from different public bodies to establish indicators. For example, by using a geographic and time frame for certain crimes, authorities can gather information about the modus operandi of a criminal group.
Data analytics can be used to prevent money laundering and financial crimes, directly affecting criminal organizations that use illicit economic activities to fund their operations. The modern approach to tackling crime is called “follow the money.”
Unifying data from various government agencies, including the civil and military police, this system provides a large volume of data to be crossed and used in the fight against crime, improving public safety in the state.
Big Data provides a huge benefit to the public sector. It improves outcomes that have a direct impact on citizens.
It can be used in many situations, whether fighting a nationwide drug problem, effectively responding to a local disaster, protecting against the loss of confidential information or intellectual property, or simply making the government more efficient.
