How 5G Partnerships Are Helping Define The Next Wave Of Big Data
From market insights to industry 4.0 manufacturing to unraveling the universe’s scientific mysteries, big data underpins much of the world’s operations. As more aspects of everyday life go digital, data analytics applications that harness artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in order to keep society functioning safely and on time are becoming table stakes.
Big data, AI and ML automatically find patterns and use them to generate insights and possible actions. For example, a metro transportation system might predict traffic anomalies that could affect schedules and automatically redirect vehicles. The municipality could also use the data to strike an optimal balance between deploying enough buses or trains so that traffic runs smoothly while not deploying so many as to unduly increase safety risks.
While it has become second nature to do something like pull out our mobile phones to scan and deposit a check into a bank account, behind the scenes, banks and GPS constantly correlate millions of variables to complete each transaction securely and calculate optimum routes. Similarly, we’re shielded from the complexities of sophisticated algorithms running the national power grid, traffic lights and air traffic control systems.
As a leader in AI-driven analytics, below is a look at how I see access to big data helping keep the trains running—figuratively and literally—and how you might best capitalize on similar synergies to bolster your business.
Getting Good Data—And Plenty Of It
Finding data-driven solutions to big problems like transportation management and banking fraud requires massive volumes of accurate, current data. Many large companies collect and generate big data themselves. But partnering with other data-intensive global organizations such as mobile network operators can add important information to the mix for greater success.
For example, consider the potential of combining your enterprise data with mobile data stored in 5G networks. 5G is architected to enable dynamic applications that rely on real-time information and insights based on the data they generate. It can be aggregated with data from other sources, then stored, analyzed and correlated for new applications.
Much of 5G data pertains to the more than six billion smartphone users worldwide and mobile carriers’ own network operations. But increasingly greater portions are created at the “edge,” in highly distributed Internet of Things (IoT) and other machine-to-machine (M2M) devices and sensors. An article by Tanweer Alam on ResearchGate estimates there are more than 35 billion IoT devices today and expects them to multiply to 75 billion by 2025.
Traffic control is a prime example of how this data can be used. Early this year, there were panicked reports of airline safety risks due to possible interference between new 5G networks and air traffic control’s radio altimeter; however, among other solutions, there is promise in AI/ML programs to anticipate interference and automatically dial back the strength of 5G signals temporarily to avoid a clash.
Similar capabilities prevent collisions among drones.
