Respond to all 4 discussion boards
Respond to all 4 post. Your Responses should demonstrate critical thinking, extend the conversation and add to the class. Responses should be more than just one or two sentences.
Cite in apa format
DISCUSSIONS: IT Trends
Discussions & Directions
What Is Big Data?
Big data is data acquired from relatively new sources that are greater
and more complex than traditional data. These data sets are so
voluminous that traditional data processing software cannot manage
them (Oracle, 2020). These substantial sets of data can be used to
address business problems that traditional data does not reveal. What
big data and traditional data have in common is that both of are no use
until value is discovered. The primary difference is the scale of
problems that can be solved for each set. Recent surges in technology
have made data easier and less expensive to store, allowing
enterprises to make accurate and precise business decisions (Oracle,
2020).
The rise of big data came right at the opening of the millennium with
sites like YouTube, Facebook, and other internet sites gaining
momentum with users and everyday use (Oracle, 2020). Big data
solutions were also on the rise, prompting the development of open
source frameworks. It was this development that lead to the
accessibility of big data, leading to the rise of its storage and use.
Humans were crucial in the initial procurement of this data, but now
household items can even provide data as society shifts towards the
Internet of Things (IoT) (Oracle, 2020).
Practical Application of Big Data
Big data provides more complete solutions because it is more
information. Precise answers and specific solutions create a greater
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sense of trust in the data, allowing companies to operate at their own
tempos versus responding to the market. Below are just a few
examples of big data that is used or obtained in everyday life.
Advertising Metrics Firms can identify at a micro level how effective
or ineffective an advertisement is (Rice, 2020).
Amazon Targeted Advertising Amazon uses big data from
consumers to advertise items you are likely to buy based on personal
purchasing habits (Rice, 2020).
Navigation- Navigation applications have gone from providing an
estimated time of arrival to a precise time of arrival based on data
like accidents, traffic, and weather (Rice, 2020).
Emergency Dispatching RAPIDSOS in conjunction with Apple,
Android, and Uber are providing emergency dispatchers with
emergency relevant data from phones and wearables so data can
reach them in a much more reliable manner (Rice, 2020).
Netflix Movies and Thumbnail – It is common knowledge that Netflix
uses data to predict what users are likely to find entertaining. What
most people do not know is that Netflix uses pause-point data to
create trailers and thumbnail photos. Netflix successfully used big
data for House of Cards by predicting the third season would be a hit
based on the lead actor, the director, and user watch history (Rice,
2020).
Conflict of Big Data
In the age of technology big data has gone from a companys
possession to capital. Companies claiming information they acquired
through a transaction has always been an issue. The consumer has a
right to feel uncomfortable with their information being used without
compensation, but consumers do have a choice to shop anywhere.
Business owner feel entitled to this information because for years they
have been using it to make better products and provide better service,
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and no one has had an issue with this. Additionally, executive teams
are obligated to gain capital and leverage that capital to make profits
for shareholders. This argument This brings up three thought
provoking questions.
What rights should consumers have over their data?
What rights should enterprises/businesses have over consumer data?
If enterprises can treat data as capital, where should society draw the
line on what type of data can collected, analyzed, and sold?
Oracle. (2020). What Is Big Data? Retrieved September 10, 2020, from
https://www.oracle.com/big-data/what-is-big-data.html
Rice, M. (2020, April 6). 17 Big Data Examples & Applications.
Retrieved September 10, 2020, from https://builtin.com/big-data/big-
data-examples-applications
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Page 3 of 3 DISCUSSIONS: IT Trends
Discussions & Directions – IFSM
495 6381 Trends and Practical
Applications in Information
Systems Management (2208)
Student Leaders: If you are assigned a topic below, it is your
responsibility to research the topic and create a 3-4 paragraph
report on what the trend is, why it is important and, if appropriate,
relate how that trend would complement or fit in with the primary
project for this class, the business case. Not all will relate directly, but
to the extent that you can tie the topic to what we are doing, the
better. Be sure to give credit to your sources. You should pose 3 to 4
thought-provoking questions for your classmates. You are expected
to host the discussion for your own topic, monitoring it closely
throughout the week, answering any questions, responding to
postings, furthering the conversation, etc. Failing to do so will have a
negative impact on your grade. These topics should be posted by
midnight Wednesday Eastern Time. Student Leaders for the week are
expected to read all main topics but are not required (but ARE
encouraged) to respond to other trend discussions that week.
Other Students: Students who do not have an assigned topic for that
week are to post at least one substantive comment (or comment and
question) in each of the student-led discussions by Saturday. This is
the minimum requirement; for an “A” in weekly participation, note that
more than the specified number of responses are required. Your
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comments should demonstrate critical thinking, extend the
conversation and add to the class. Responses should be more than
just one or two sentences.
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Page 2 of 2 DISCUSSIONS: IT Trends
Discussions & Directions
Amazon Echo, Google Nest, Ring, Ecobee Thermostat, the list goes
on. Most of these devices probably sound very familiar to you all, as
they are some of the forefront “smart home” artificial intelligence
agents. Smart spaces and smart homes are becoming more and more
prevalent around the globe. In addition to these smaller spaces, smart
cities are flourishing at an exponential rate. According to Forbes, “A
smart city is one that leverages technology to increase efficiencies
and improve the quality of services and life for its residents. Smart city
initiatives can cover anything from power distribution, transport
systems, street lights, and even rubbish collection. The idea is to use
data and technology to make everyday life easier and better for the
people who live and work in the city, while maximizing the use of
resources” (2020). Some attributes of smart cities are: safety, security,
financial sustainability, green environments, transit planning, citizen-
participative local governments, information gathering,
communication, and technology enabled public services. All of these
aspects can contribute to making a city more efficient and productive.
Some of the “smartest” cities in the US include: Austin, Boston,
Chicago, Las Vegas, and New York City. Within these cities, you may
find things such as Citi bikes, smart kiosks, street light sensors, stop
light sensors, free public Wi-Fi, and soon… 5G networks. All of these
things are possible thanks to what Forbes calls a “Perfect Storm” of
technology trends. These trends consist of artificial intelligence, big
data, the Internet of Things, and autonomous vehicles. One particular
advancement that stands out to me is the ability to decrease crime in
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cities and make them safer. Real-time video cameras are set up all
throughout Bourbon street in New Orleans to help Police detect
crimes in the act. This helps to improve citizen safety, as well as
boosting incident response times and recording evidence of the
criminals. As the years go on, smart cities will only continue to
develop. It will be interesting to see what comes next. My dad keeps
telling me that one day we will no longer be driving cars ourselves,
they will all be self-driving. Right now it is hard for me to picture that,
but I’m sure he is correct. The possibilities of smart cities seem
endless, and I am curious to hear what you guys think will come next!
It is definitely interesting to think about! 🙂
Questions:
What role will artificial intelligence play in smart cities of the
future?
What are some dangers or challenges of smart cities?
How can smart cities help to create a more sustainable
future?
References:
Buntz, Brian. (2019). The smartest cities in the U.S. Retrieved from,
https://www.americancityandcounty.com/2019/05/08/the-smartest-
cities-in-the-u-s/.
Forbes. (2020). The smart cities of the future: 5 ways technology is
changing our cities. Retrieved from,
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2020/07/02/the-smart-
cities-of-the-future-5-ways-technology-is-transforming-our-
cities/#6fdf9ddf73f8.
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Page 2 of 2 DISCUSSIONS: IT Trends
Discussions & Directions
When I was a kid growing up in the late 90s and early 2000s, I
remember watching videos of futuristic inventions like flying cars, self
driving vehicles, robots, touchscreen devices, and every other
“futuristic” creation you could have thought of. Fast forward to today,
and we have almost all of those things. We seem to take for granted or
overlook just how far technology has come in such a short period of
time. We seem to always have a smartphone glued to our hands, we
see cars that drive or park themselves, and robots at the grocery
store, and we’re not even close to hitting our technological peak, as
more “autonomous things” are on the brink of being an every day
necessity.
I chose this topic because I happen to work for an engineering
company that develops software for “autonomous things”. I work on an
IT team that supports about 100 software and mechanical engineers,
so I figured I’d talk about some of the things that my company is
working on and how close they are to hitting the streets (due to
confidentiality, I will be leaving out the company name and specific
program names)
Self-Driving bus: We are currently in the finishing stage or testing
stage of having a fully autonomous shuttle bus. We have been
developing it for about a year now, and it can be seen driving around
our campus completely free of a pilot! we are based out of Maryland,
and we have actually tested it in National Harbor, which is a very
densely populated area. The bus utilizes GPS and lidar sensors to
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maintain their course and sense possible obstructions.
Self-Driving shuttle: This creation is much like the bus, but is more
geared toward short trips, like college campuses. This innovation is all
but complete, and it has actually gotten approval from our local
government to operate between our testing campus and our office
building which is about a mile away from each other. There are actually
several college campuses who are currently working out the logistics
to operate this vehicle as we speak! This shuttle operates similarly to
the GPS and lidar of the bus.
Self-Driving military convoy vehicles: We have been working one on
one with the Army to develop autonomous military convoy vehicles.
This one is a little more tricky than the bus and shuttle, because
convoy vehicles aren’t always crossing terrain or roads that are listed
on a gps map. However, they utilize what is called a “leader follower”.
This means that the lead vehicle is manned by a human, and the
vehicles behind are completely unmanned and rely on the sensors
from the lead vehicle to keep them on course. The lead vehicle can
have up to ten followers in the convoy!
Although it seems like this technology is years from being
implemented, it may be sooner than most think. It could fundamentally
change the way people travel or buy vehicles. In regard to the convoy
vehicles, it could save countless soldier’s lives as a good majority of
military deaths are due to road side IEDs. Prepare yourselves, the
future is near!
Thought Provoking Questions:
1. When do you think we will see full autonomous vehicles in the
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streets or in the skies?
2. When the technology is available for purchase, would you put
your trust in a machine to drive you safely from point A to point B?
3. There have been multiple movies made about robots trying to
take over the world. Do you think that there’s a certain point
where technology will have advanced too far?
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