Big Data Now

by O'Reilly Media

The Big Data Now anthology is relevant to anyone who creates, collectsor relies upon data. It's not just a technical book or just a businessguide. Data is ubiquitous and it doesn't pay much attention toborders, so we've calibrated our coverage to follow it wherever itgoes.

In the first edition of Big Data Now, the O'Reilly team tracked thebirth and early development of data tools and data science. Now, withthis second edition, we're seeing what happens when big data grows how it's being applied, where it's playing a role, and theconsequences -- good and bad alike -- of data's ascendance.

We've organized the second edition of Big Data Now into five

Getting Up to Speed With Big Data -- Essential information on thestructures and definitions of big data.

Big Data Tools, Techniques, and Strategies -- Expert guidance forturning big data theories into big data products.

The Application of Big Data -- Examples of big data in action, including a look at the downside of data.

What to Watch for in Big Data -- Thoughts on how big data will evolveand the role it will play across industries and domains.

Big Data and Health Care -- A special section exploring thepossibilities that arise when data and health care come together.

Genres: Nonfiction, Technology, Technical, Programming, Business, Computer Science, Reference

148 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2011

Reviews

[Alex Ott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set of articles by different authors, loosely coupled by one common topic - big data. Maybe it's interesting for somebody who doesn't track current state of this branch, but for persons who read blogs/articles from time to time, here will be not so much useful stuff...

[Martin De Leon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource to begin with Big Data

This very interesting book contains plenty of links to a lot of reference material and is in general a very good introduction to the subject, provided that the reader has some insight on IT. Only week point is that I've found the last part a little boring.

[Kamalika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted something that explained the basic concepts of big data and those as perfect for me

[Richard Magahiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Series of short form essays and interviews circa 2010, still relevant. Most of the links still work at the current time, which is worth something. It is a mix of big picture and details of implementations which may no longer be current, discussed at a level where one does not need to be an insider to understand the gist of the subjects. It served as a useful guide to the architecture behind the largest fixtures in the Big Data space though of course it leaves out the ones who have only made a name for themselves in the last couple of years. I believe I may pick up the 2012 update as well (both ebooks are free at Amazon) to catch up on some of these.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This, although a bit dated, is a really good primer into the terminology, challenges and excitement of "big data". It's available as a free PDF download. There are a lot of adverts in amongst the text, and they're all for a conference that has already been and gone. Whilst annoying, it was a free download, so I don't feel I can really complain. I now subscribe to a filtered O'Reilly Radar feed looking for big data related articles to continue my learning

[Margo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The logistics around Big Data are fascinating - I especially liked the questions posed by Health IT issues. If we don't consume data in a usable format, what use is it? I am a huge proponent of data standardization and I found the concepts described to be common sense, however the actual application of the proposed methods of data retrieval and analysis will be interesting to see (if it happens).

[Mysteryfan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a collection of essays on data sciences and tools as they realte to the amount of data we leave about ourselves on the Internet. It's a bit dated but as it is it's a chilling read. We leave a lot of information out there and we don't control it. Various essays cover the tools, the potential products and the people selling it. The math whooshed right by me in a few essays but overall a necessary read.

[Upom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting series of interviews and essays about what big data holds in store for people. It was bit fragmented, and some essays were really jargony, but perhaps the state of big data itself: no one is quite sure whats going on. In some sense though, it's a perfect way to understand what is going on in this rapidly evolving concept.

[Upom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a far more focused and tightly written book than the 2011 edition. Filled with insightful essays on the tools of big data, methods of thinking, and applications of big data. Far more valuable were the several internet links the ebook provided. It is the best primer I've read so far on Big Data, albeit sparse.

[Aleksander Shtuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains tons of interesting information, interviews, opinions,questions about big data and companies and people already involved in development. For some people this is a dated information, but for me it was very informative.

[CT Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag of essays on Big Data. Some of the technical ones were interesting and I learned new things. Some of the case studies and interviews with people in the Big Data product area were less interesting.

[Ed Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthology of Insights

Big Data is not only a buzz term, it is also legitimately changing everything we buy, see and how we are influenced. The anthology gives an overview of both technology and policy around big data. A good overview and interesting read.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the first 1/3 if you don't already know the jargon.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of topics and interviews. My favorite was a reminder how useful some UNIX commandline tools still are. I learned a couple of new ones, to go along with my old favorites.

[Mms Mamdouh Al Shamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

a collection of articles which talk about diverse topics about Big Data from definitions, concepts, elements, difficulties, current startup examples and thoughts about the future of Big Data

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting information about the current and future state of the field.

[Ivo Jimenez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does a very good job at describing the Big Data landscape

[khalid eldehairy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great intro into the big-data world from a technical point of view.

[Shanta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to current views on big data technologies.

[Carlos Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book for beginners, several cool tips are on it

[Silvia Zuleta Romano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un buen apunte para el que necesita un par de conceptos fundamentales sobre el tema.

[Yougerten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty straight forward and simple to read if you want to have a general idea and intriduction about Big Data

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stepping stone

Great introduction to data analysis. Book invites reader into the field of data analysis and business intelligence. Recommend to all interested researchers.

[Michal Holub · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite nice introduction to the topic.

[Alex Ott · Rating 3 out of 5]

just a collection of blog posts from oreilly.com - some of them are good, some - not so...

[J. Arturo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to Big Data, but it lacks of detail in certain points.