The ability to accurately measure trends in database research is a new aspect of data collection that has only been made possible because of recent innovations in technology. Prior to the Digital Era and the innovations that have followed its inception, there was no comprehensive way to store, categorize, and access data on a global scale.

With today’s Big Data collective capabilities, though, that challenge has been addressed and all but solved, changing the way researchers are able to measure trends and compile research. Big Data programs like Google Trends and other tools that use algorithms to collect metadata are invaluable to scientists as they attempt to forecast what research will be crucial to stay ahead of the needs of society in innovative and creative, yet highly impactful, ways.

The Shift in Big Data to Measure Trends

The methods employed to collect data over the web have so unobtrusively slid into our lives that anyone born in the past two decades doesn’t even notice a difference. Metadata collective tools such as cookies, survey questions, and background scans are part of daily life on the grid anymore, allowing researchers around the world to use big data analytics to drive academic goals in the name of social impact.

The general definition of big data is that of information that is linkable to the user, such as social media usage, phone calls performed off of a cellular device, voluntarily given information regarding location (checking in on Facebook, for instance), search engine keyword queries, and similar trackable data initiated by the user and followed by an algorithmic program designed to collect such metadata.

Without a focus, this data sits in pools of collected information uselessly, but now organizations set up groups specifically to utilize the metadata that could drive their cause in ways that help them to make necessary changes and predict what they should do next. It has become such a game-changer for industries and businesses that the collection of Big Data is now considered a crucial component to measure trends that drive relevancy in marketing and strategic planning by stakeholders all over the globe.

Challenges to Using Big Data

Search engine data is part of Big Data collection that aids researchers in measuring trends in database research. Google Trends is a program that belongs to Google, Inc., the number one search engine used universally by those looking to find information. In fact, Google’s search engine is used so predominantly that “googling” something has become a dictionary verb.

Google Trends was launched in 2006 to provide data on how people use Google Search features, allowing anyone with a specific need for relevant data to review these results and see how searches are trending to guide their business needs.

Yet there are many challenges that remain on the horizon before Big Data can be collectively considered a public source of information. One is that this data is purely quantitative, so anyone looking to use it to perform forecasting research due to trending information must also include further analysis for sentiment and other qualitative features.

Another is that Big Data collection makes it possible to go miles wide and inches deep, whereas further defining of subsections of data mining needs to be incorporated to fully understand more information about a category of collected metadata.

Finally, the argument as to what constitutes an invasion of privacy to the user is frequently contested when it comes to Big Data collection. Google is the only entity that has access to its search information on Google Trends and search engine use, preventing it from actually being a public resource as it is supposedly intended. Still, many individuals are unhappy at the level of data mined from their seemingly innocent searches as one clicked link in curiosity turns into a targeted barrage of ads on their social media feed.

When Big Data Works, It Works Well

Programs such as Google Trends offer researchers significant advantages when it comes to measuring trends in database research. Through the collection of big data, information is processed and released to users. This data helps scientists gain insight on topics that are relevant to society, helping to drive research that makes higher impacts.

It’s also possible to use this data to predict major changes on the horizon, such as pandemics before they spread beyond control. Between businesses and researchers, measuring trends through Big Data can create results that may change how elements of the world are seen in the future.

Impactio Helps You Get Your Research Out to the World

Collecting big data, measuring trends, and creating research that results in outcomes that could change your field of study is what you’re good at. But once you’ve done all that, you need a program that lets you put everything together and get the information out to the world. Enter Impactio.

Impactio is an all-in-one platform that takes you from start to finish with your research, and then beyond! Turn your data into professional PDF documents and web pages ready for seamless submission to the publisher or your own academic blog. Then, use Impactio’s citation indicators to follow your work as it becomes impactful to your audience.

Between your big data collection methods and Impactio’s platform designed for experts like you, your work can make the difference you hoped for as you reach a wide audience of readers.