
The next big thing: WeeData
‘Big Data’ has a problem, and that problem is its name. Dig deep into the big data ecosystem, or spend any time at all talking with its practitioners, and you should quickly start hitting the Vs. Initially Volume, Velocity and Variety, the Vs rapidly bred like rabbits. Now we have a plethora of new V-words,...

Data Markets, revisited
Earlier this year, I conducted a series of podcasts with some of the leading lights in the Data Market business. We delved into the things that differentiated them from one another, and we searched for the areas of commonality that might provide some boundaries to the rather fluid concept of a market for a non-rival...

GigaOM Pro report on Hadoop and cluster management
My latest piece of work for GigaOM Pro just went live. Scaling Hadoop clusters: the role of cluster management is available to GigaOM Pro subscribers, and was underwritten by StackIQ. Thanks to everyone who took the time to speak with me during the preparation of this report. As the blurb describes, From Facebook to Johns...

The Americans are Coming
This October, two great US events are making their first forays into Europe. O’Reilly‘s big data conference, Strata, reaches London on 1-2 October. Then GigaOM‘s cloud computing event, Structure, hits Amsterdam on 16-17 October. I’ve attended both in the States (see disclaimer), and look forward to seeing how each sets about fusing the best elements...

Thinking about Data Gravity
Dave McCrory introduced his idea of Data Gravity with a blog post back in 2010. The core idea was — and is — interesting, and got some traction from sites like ReadWriteWeb, ZDNet and GigaOM. More recently, Data Gravity featured in this year’s EMC World keynote. But beyond the observation that large or valuable agglomerations of data...
CloudCamp London: the Big Data Special
The CloudCamp unconference returned to London for the 14th time this evening, regaling a capacity crowd in the Crypt below Clerkenwell’s St James Church with several hours of discussion and debate on the somewhat elusive topic of ‘Big Data’. Rather rough notes of the proceedings follow, after the break.
Nurturing the market for Data Markets
From Microsoft’s Azure Data Marketplace to the eponymous DataMarket, or InfoChimps, Factual, and Kasabi, there’s resurgent interest in the venerable business of collecting, curating, and commercialising data created by others. But despite investment and innovation, there isn’t yet the matching evidence for much use or — even — interest amongst prospective customers. In principle, at least, these data markets...
The myth of a data free trade policy
In my last post I looked at the USA PATRIOT Act, and at some of the ways in which it exemplifies differences in attitude and approach on either side of the Atlantic. In our increasingly connected world, these differences begin to pose quite serious challenges for those wishing to join up, to aggregate, and to...
June is San Francisco month
For real-world applications of Linked Data and the Semantic Web, the long-running Semantic Technology Conference is hard to beat. For getting a real handle on the Cloud Computing landscape, GigaOM‘s Structure Conference is also a leading light. Working across both areas as I do, these events tend to figure prominently in my calendar for the...
Trust, Big Data, Semantics, Data Marketplaces, and More Trust
I’ve had a few posts published over the weekend, picking up some things I have written about before. These are; My latest monthly column on SemanticWeb.com; Big Data Presents a Big Opportunity? My latest weekly wrap-up on GigaOMPro; Rosslyn Analytics, Microsoft Finding Value in Data Aggregation The teaser piece on GigaOM’s public Cloud site; In...
Off to Santa Clara for O’Reilly’s Strata Conference
I’m off to California this weekend, heading for Santa Clara and O’Reilly Media‘s inaugural Big Data conference, Strata. There are some great sessions on the Programme, and I look forward to comparing the diverse ways in which Big Data concepts and methods are being put to work across a range of market segments. I also...
Is there a disconnect between Big Data and the Web of Data ?
Image via Wikipedia ‘Big Data‘ is currently capturing the imagination, attracting hype, investment and ambitious startups in almost equal measure. Kim and Eric Norlin’s excellent Defrag and Glue events have gained big-name company, with O’Reilly‘s Strata and GigaOM‘s Structure both set to arrive in the first quarter of 2011. Venture firms like IA Ventures have emerged, specifically...