Big Data, Aircraft, and a Better Future

Aircraft manufacturers are exploiting the opportunities that come with collecting the vast amount of data available, from customer reports to engine exhaust temperatures. Why is it potentially so useful? What are some of the best ways to use it?

The hype phrase today is “Big Data.” It is a phrase Mark Bünger, Research Director for Lux Research, believes can have a number of definitions depending on who is doing the defining. Bünger was the lead analyst on a report that Lux published in April 2015 that surveyed both the technology as it is today and how various industries are adapting to the opportunities-and perils-in trying to exploit it.

Avoiding a precise definition in an interview with Aerospace & Defense Technology, Bünger explained Big Data is about raw data, databases, and speed. Companies now have access to a growing number of sensors attached to infrastructure and assets, from oil derricks to aircraft engines. These sensors provide vast volumes of data in high velocity. The data is variable-think spreadsheets to Twitter tweets. A major finding of its study is that, while information industries like banking and media know how to derive benefit from vast data sets, there is risk for industries that Lux terms “material-centric.”