Page 113 - AC/E's Digital Culture Annual Report 2015

Using data to create value in the arts and cultural sectorJuan Mateos-Garcia, @JMateosGarciaThe data revolutionWhat have been the most important innovations in the last 30 years?When answering that question, many of us will mention digital networks, devices and services: the World Wide Web, Smartphones, social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, search engines like Google, content platforms like iTunes or YouTube, or e-commerce sites such as Amazon or e-Bay. These technologies have changed the way we access information and content and communicate with each other, how we work and how we consume.They also share a less visible but essential fea- ture: they all collect amazing amounts of data. Just think about it: every single action that you take inside any of these networks, devices or services requires a click, a swipe or typing some text, and each of these actions creates dataabout your behaviour, your interests and your desires.The numbers involved are extraordinary: Face- book processes 930 million photo uploads, 6 billion “likes” and 12 billion messages each day.1 Google receives 40,000 searches every second,2 and YouTube users upload 100 hours3 of video to YouTube every minute. This has created a data avalanche: According to IBM,4 90% of the data that exists today was generated in the last 2 years.Transforming this raw data into knowledgethat can inform action is not easy though. Not long ago, data was thrown away because it was expensive to store and difficult to analyse: it was a cost. However, improvements in data storage and management technologies, and innovations in analytical tools, have transformed data into an incredibly valuable resource – “the new oil”, according to UK broadcaster David Abraham5