big data visualisation

Why Big Data Visualisation Is Essential

When it comes to understanding data, businesses sometimes find themselves unable to see the trees for the forest. The truth is that there is simply too much raw information, and focusing on specific details among the vastness of available data can be very difficult—and will only get more difficult as more data is created in the years to come. Experts predict that by the year 2020, there will be approximately 40 zettabytes (which is equal to 40 trillion gigabytes) of data in existence. With such a large amount of available information, getting a clear analytical picture often seems impossible. Even now, with so many businesses putting a heavy emphasis on big data and data mining, 53% of business leaders say that too much data is being left unanalysed.

Seeing Through the Raw Data

Big data analytics makes it possible for organisations to sift through captured data in order to produce viable, actionable conclusions related to causes, processes, and trends. However, for that refined information to be useful, it needs to be able to bridge the gap between data silos and decision makers. After all, even the best analytics programs aren’t worth much value if the human users are unable to interpret and act upon the data being presented. The solution to this problem is big data visualisation.

Big data visualisation is the process by which large amounts of analysed data are converted into an easy-to-comprehend visual format. By presenting complex data as graphs, charts, tables, diagrams, or other visuals, users are able to more-easily grasp the meanings behind the information, and do so quickly. Big data visualisation tools are becoming an absolute necessity for any business that wants to get the most out of their analytics programs, with  73% of high performers strongly agreeing that such analytics tools are valuable in gaining strategic insights from big data. As such, the visualisation market is growing at an unprecedented rate, and is expected to reach $6.4 billion before the end of 2019.

But beyond the complex numbers, big data visualisation has one simple purpose: to make data easier to understand and act upon. As a result, it provides several key benefits to business users.

Advantages of Big Data Visualisation Tools

The primary benefit of big data visualisation is that it enables decision makers to better comprehend complex data, but within the umbrella-concept, there are several more-specific advantages worth considering. Here are some of the most valuable benefits of big data visualisation:

  • Quickly process large amounts of data
    It’s called big data for a reason. With so much information being captured, organised, and analysed, there is simply too much raw data for the average human mind to process at any sort of reasonable pace. Big data visualisation cuts out the lengthy process of data comprehension, and instead makes it possible for users to digest large, complex data stores at a glance. This is often accomplished through the use of interactive, visually-presented dashboards.
  • Access important data in real time
    In the fast paced world of business, every second counts. Businesses that have to rely on more-traditional methods of collating and refining vast amount of data often end up with obsolete information. On the other hand, the best big data visualisation tools operate in real time, constantly updating the information being presented, so that at any given time that a user might need to access them, they’ll always have the most current data available. In fact, according to a 2013 study by Aberdeen Group, managers in organisations that use visual data discovery tools are 28 percent more likely to find information that is timely.
  • Understand data better through interactivity
    Interactive big data visualisation tools take the visualisation process beyond the use of simple graphs and charts, and instead allow users the chance to see beyond the numbers. By allowing users the opportunity to delve deeper into causes and trends, big data visualisation allows decision makers the chance to see not only what the numbers are saying, but also why.
  • See the connections between business processes and performance
    Although few leaders would deny that the daily business-processes and operational activities of an organisation have a direct impact on overall business-performance, it can be difficult to see exactly how these activities are affecting the company’s success. Big data visualisation tools solve this problem, by allowing leaders the opportunity to visually discover the hidden relationships that connect the day-to-day processes with business performance.
  • Tell a story through data
    The human mind tends to prefer to process information linearly, which is to say that it likes to see causes, effects, and resolutions lined up in such a way as to tell a story. By presenting data in a way that is visually-centered, big data visualisation gives information something that it generally lacks—a sense of progression. This makes it more-easily understandable, and thus easier for users to comprehend and act upon.

A Sight for Sore Eyes

Data is everywhere, and as industries move even further into the digital age, it’s going to become ever-more present. But just because there is an ocean’s worth of data available, it doesn’t necessarily mean that businesses will be unable to comprehend the drops that constitute it. Big data visualisation makes it possible for organisations of all sizes to better understand the details that make up the whole. And when that happens, making informed, data-driven decisions becomes as easy as opening an eye.

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