A useful extension from this research might be to look at the impact of real time movement of individuals on business. In particular there are a number of examples, probably chief among them being the taxi/ride-share app Uber, which is very specifically influencing and influenced by the movement of its customers.

The so-called "Internet of Things" - the integration of data processing into products not traditionally used for communication using anything from Bluetooth to near-field communication (NFC) - means that the amount of data available for research like this is only going to grow and from a business perspective it will be more and more important to be able to usefully analyse it in real time.

Using big data allows companies to marshal their marketing resources and reorganise their supply chain to seize on trends developing in small or large geographical areas. Business always seek to manipulate opportunities to drive behavioural change and data like this can only make it easier and more effective.

But there's also a more reactive use for this sort of data. Big data can be valuable in government, particularly in the current climate of austerity, where moving resources around in real time to provide the best possible service at the least possible cost could have a notable benefit to the public.

Whilst the business world has slowly been waking up to the potential of big data, the question is how and whether local government is starting to catch up. And if and when it does, do we trust our local governments to use it for our benefit?

Susan Calvin
Super-sleuthing forensic mobile data detective
http://www.gadget-lab.co....