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Despite being one of the technology sector's prominent buzz words, 'Big Data' is old. Centuries old, in fact, with the US Census being one of this nation's earliest examples of compiling and using data on a grand scale.
In 1790, Thomas Jefferson oversaw the first decennial population count. The official result: 3,929,214 people; significant volume in those days. The count - which was conducted using "technologies" like the pen and quill, and transportation methods like foot-traffic and the pony express - took a significant amount of time to complete. And, while only a few questions were asked, it was the only variety they needed or contemplated at the time to get the job done.
Volume, velocity and variety of data aside, what mattered most were the results being published in town squares for all to see. At the core, our Founding Fathers wanted to humanize the data they had collected to help citizens understand who they were as a population so they could improve the communities in which they lived, and provide real Value.
Interestingly enough - and perhaps in our haste to manage the ever-increasing volume, velocity and variety of data since those early days - the industry at-large has lost sight of the value that comes with humanizing big data.
Without the explicit goal of finding what is in it, 'Big Data' is just another 'sky is falling' view of the digital economy. These days, human aspects are often created by devices. Take, for example, a single 'Tweet' or Facebook 'Like' transmitted via lifeless gadgetry made of plastics, semiconductors, processors or keyboards. While the times have changed, the context hasn't. More than 220 years later, efforts are still underway to humanize big data. What matters most is the collective human spirit of the person behind the activity. We want to know what is in it, the make-up of the people, as well as the households and families that define it.
The 2010 Census results, which include billions of cells of data, are now being distributed by the US Census Bureau in a variety of mediums and on nearly every form factor (via Alteryx technology). It's a far cry from the pen and quill tabulation engine of the 18th century, but the goal remains the same: to humanize data in an effort to better understand its big opportunities.
To help make that a reality, Alteryx enables people and companies to mix data with additional content - whether it be social media, customer data, geospatial information, business analytics or beyond - digest it, and ultimately provide big value.
Check out our 2010 Census page here: www.alteryx.com/census2010
Dean Stoecker
Chairman & CEO
