Although Big Data is a trending buzzword in both academia and the industry, its meaning is still shrouded by much conceptual vagueness. The term is used to describe a wide range of concepts: from the technological ability to store, aggregate, and process data, to the cultural shift that is pervasively invading business and society, both drowning in information overload. The lack of a formal definition has led research to evolve into multiple and inconsistent paths. Furthermore, the existing ambiguity among researchers and practitioners undermines an efficient development of the subject. In this paper we have reviewed the existing literature on Big Data and analyzed its previous definitions in order to pursue two results: first, to provide a summary of the key research areas related to the phenomenon, identifying emerging trends and suggesting opportunities for future development; second, to provide a consensual definition for Big Data, by synthesizing common themes of existing works and patterns in previous definitions.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
9 February 2015
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INTEGRATED INFORMATION (IC-ININFO 2014): Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Integrated Information
5–8 September 2014
Madrid, Spain
Research Article|
February 09 2015
What is big data? A consensual definition and a review of key research topics
Andrea De Mauro;
Andrea De Mauro
Department of Enterprise Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Roma,
Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
Marco Greco;
Marco Greco
Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Via Di Biasio 43, 03043 Cassino (FR),
Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
Michele Grimaldi
Michele Grimaldi
Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Via Di Biasio 43, 03043 Cassino (FR),
Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
AIP Conf. Proc. 1644, 97–104 (2015)
Citation
Andrea De Mauro, Marco Greco, Michele Grimaldi; What is big data? A consensual definition and a review of key research topics. AIP Conf. Proc. 9 February 2015; 1644 (1): 97–104. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4907823
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionPay-Per-View Access
$40.00