Make Sense Of "Big Data"

We hear "Big Data" a lot. What does it really mean?!

Information is the most potent superpower in the world we live in. For a city like Hong Kong, with sophisticated infrastructure and an unparalleled level of high-speed internet penetration (about 5.5 million internet users, equivalent to over 74% penetration of the whole population), there is an abundant volume of data we are sitting on. This data isn’t just terabytes of binary codes - it’s a catalyst for driving growth and improving people’s lives. The value of big data features prominently in the innovation and technology (I&T) strategy set forth by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR, Mrs. Carrie Lam. In her maiden policy speech, she highlighted that open up data is one of the eight key areas that can help propel Hong Kong’s overall I&T development.

Recently, Mrs. Lam further stressed that “delivering the smart city strategy is a multifaceted task and we will need to work particularly smart in a number of strategic areas if we are to realize its full benefits. They include opening up data for free use by start-ups and the public”. As the world is about to usher in the 5G era, it deserves our serious deliberation on the open data policy for this vibrant city. Especially when we are studying different initiatives for advancing our city in a smarter way, we see the enormous advantages for free access to data that facilitates the development of automated solutions or value-add services for the greater benefits of general public. 

While the Chief Executive specifically referred to the utilization of real-time public transport data, there are a few other avenues where we already see promising starts. The Hospital Authority has been developing a big data system since the beginning of the year to identify useful patterns in anonymized patient data. This will facilitate advanced medical research and help shape policies for the healthcare sector. When made available to medical researchers and data scientists, this data could facilitate machine learning and many other analytical applications.

A number of other Bureaus and Departments of the SAR Government are unleashing the power of big data to improve their operations. Just a couple of days ago, the Commissioner of Customs and Excise revealed an annual review of the Department’s work in 2017. I was impressed to learn about a Big Data System the Department launched last year - a round-the-clock automated system that analyzes mass information from different Internet platforms for effective screening and monitoring of infringing activities. Great news is, as the Customs team continues to strengthen their big data platform, other units are also joining the tide. And the possibilities are simply infinite - a researcher at the University of Hong Kong has developed a big data-based surveillance method which can help tackle Hong Kong’s problem of illegal dumping.

One of the international researches shows that smart airports - a great example within the smart city ecosystem - can shorten flight support preparation time by 33%, cut flight delays in half, and increase airport resource utilization by 28%, simply by integrating data from various systems and processes. Andy Bien, Chief Information Officer of the Airport Authority Hong Kong, believes that big data technologies are transforming the way the Airport engages with passengers. “If you have a ‘shot-in-the-dark’ approach, it’s very difficult to get any tangible results, so we are refining our approach to big data,” Mr. Bien said in a media interview.

Data is king. Since a large chunk of this big data lies in the hands of the private sector, it is a major policy priority for the Government to work out with the most practical strategy along with the business sector, while fully addressing concerns around privacy and intellectual properties.

A smart city’s main purpose is to make things better for everyone, that includes creating values for businesses and empowering our citizens in a positive and constructive way. The key lies in managing "urbanscape" resources in a way that’s sustainable, affordable and secure - benefiting both the people and the economy at large. In Hong Kong, we have a copious pool of information that must be accessed, mined and analyzed so that the best course of action for our city can be taken. And that’s exactly the reason we must make sense of big data, and realize our bigger dream to live smartly.