How Big Data can be a force to reckon with in a country like India.
Big data is the big word these days, and rightly so. Big data and analytics are tools that have the potential to step in when human accountability fails to spot patterns, co-relate various sets of data and getting actionable insights to make highly informed decisions. Big Data holds in its hands the keys to solving several problems across sectors and open doors to a more sustainable future.
India with its vast population has amazed the world with its ability to collect data offline. Whether it is census, elections, HPV drives, the postal system or the latest biometric data collection for Aadhar, India has successfully managed it with a high level of efficiency in a matter of years, where other countries would easily need decades. These projects require mass mobilization of resources that have to be planned on a very large scale.
What’s the future of Big Data for India as a country?
Big Data Analytics in very simple words is the process of analyzing vast and varied data sets to identify patterns, co-relations, user behavior and many forms of insights that
help organizations in better decision-making.
Predictive Analysis helps in understanding current patterns, behaviors and conditions to predict future actions and outcomes. For example, today it is possible to study soil and weather patterns and predict the yield of crops few months into the future. As one can see, all these insights and information are not possible to gather with traditional intelligence systems, but have unlimited potential for use.
For example, by making water and electricity meters intelligent, governments can identify patterns and predict patterns in water and electricity consumption and manage & distribute resources accordingly. By making our streetlights or buses intelligent, governments can effectively manage traffic and offer better transportation. Telemedicine is possible, ensuring patients can be remotely monitored and treated. It can impact agriculture and dairy in a very productive and measurable way, solving challenges that grassroots level.
A success story in Agriculture
Amnex worked with GAICL to map agriculture across the state of Gujarat. Using a combination of Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Amnex was able to handle the daunting task of analyzing approximately 1,96,000 sq km of area, multiple times a year in order to provide reports per season based on the status of the crops under cultivation. This translated into 5-6 TB of data to be analysed every season, which is a mind-blowing volume of data to deal with.
With Big Data Analytics, crop-sown area could be juxtaposed with insured statistics and analysis was done to find reasons for lower or over insurance. Artificial Intelligence techniques recognized images so that odd-one-outs could be excluded. With Machine Learning algorithms, the system could provide more hidden information than manual systems.
Through the project, we were able to provide farmers a real-time health status of their crops and a prediction of their yield over time. Farmers could be accurately reimbursed for losses arising out of natural calamities.
Amnex was able to help the government get an accurate estimate of minor and major crop damage and empower them to formulate the right plan of action. Insurance companies were able to get a spatial verification of damaged crops. Big Data has the potential to add value across each of the touch points- starting from selection of right agro-inputs, to monitoring the soil moisture & controlling irrigation. Market trends and dynamics can also be monitored and analyzed using Big Data.
In conclusion
India has the potential to be the leader in implementing and benefiting from AI powered solutions in almost every sphere, putting it on the fast track to faster development. It is the responsibility of Big Data specialists and governments to come together and realize this dream.
