Machine Learning & Big Data - Where You Least Expect It

Since the concept of “machines learning” was introduced in the 1950s, the field has gone from a cryptic domain understood by a few (Turing, Markov, Legendre, Laplace or Bayes) to a technology that every company must deploy.

Every day we hear how data and automation improve our shopping experiences, our online searches and enables fraud prevention and cybersecurity routines to do more, faster and better for us.

Now, the amalgamates created around Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Big Data are bound to confuse industry observers or investors who aren’t familiar with the technical details.  If you’re asking yourself: “What’s the difference between Big Data and Machine Learning?”, then for the sake of my piece, simply think about it this way: “Big Data is Machine Learning’s great uncle”.  Machine Learning doesn’t need Big Data to exist. But, if it uses it, it can benefit greatly from its vast knowledge.

I’m sure you’ll find more sophisticated answers out there but what matters most is not just the technology. It’s how technology is applied.  So rather than discuss typical enterprise use cases that might bore you to death, I thought I’d highlight interesting (and somewhat unexpected) scenarios where data and machine learning play a role.  

Drones as flying data collectors

You might not think of drones as having anything to do with data and machine learning.  But they’re beginning to have a huge impact in a number of industries from mining to construction to farming.

“We see ourselves as a data company, not a drone company,” says Airobotics CEO Ran Krauss. For Airobotics, which just announced the opening of a US headquarters in Arizona, the biggest market today for its fully automated drone system is the mining industry. Its drones are becoming increasingly common around active mining areas, providing accurate 3D models and 2D maps on a daily basis.

"We supply autonomous drones that facilitate a range of services, depending on the needs of our clients, from security to surveying. Whatever the drone is doing, it’s constantly collecting data from the different points of interest within the mine site. This data supports both routine and critical, time-sensitive mining operations, while providing important business insights, introducing cost savings, and improving safety,” says Krauss.

The mining industry has already begun to look at all sorts of uses for Big Data. Big Data may soon be utilized to both aid the discovery of new mineral deposits and provide safer mining operations. For example, by using real-time monitoring of sensors on miners, their environment, and equipment, hyper-fast analytics may identify risks such as an impending tunnel collapse, or deteriorating air quality within the mine.

3D Printing and Big Data poised to reinvent manufacturing

In just the last couple of years, the popularity of 3D printing has exploded, but it’s been mostly as a source of made-to-order items rather than mass production parts. 3D printing has also made rapid prototyping of parts for the aerospace, automotive, and medical industries possible.

The challenge for mass production is quality control and that’s where researchers say data and machine learning will come in. Some recent research on the use of sensor-based, in-process monitoring has been done, with the goal of giving 3D printing machines the ability to recognize malicious defects in real-time.

The key here is machine learning. Big Data was collected during the building process so that the system could learn to spot anomalies in real-time and provide automated self-correction during the manufacturing process.

“Unlike 3D printing for private use, mass manufacturing demands a very high level of quality, and more importantly, consistency of quality,” says Avi Reichental, founder of XponentialWorks, and former CEO of 3D Systems. “If we’re talking about components for the auto or aircraft industries, for example, it’s not enough that they look good; they must be flawless, every time.”

Will car companies become data companies?

The automotive industry has been using data and process automation for some time in many aspects of car manufacturing, parts distribution, and sales. There’s nothing new about that. But, a former director of Israel’s security service surprised attendees of the Paris Motor Show last month when he suggested that in the near future car companies will become Big Data companies.

"The car industry is undergoing a dramatic revolution,” Yuval Diskin, the former director of the Israeli Internal Security Service (Shin Bet) and a co-founder of cybersecurity startup CyMotive Technologies Ltd, told Calcalist Tech. “Now they are starting to understand that IT is the core business, because with time they will have more and more data, and the automotive industry will become a Big Data industry.”

What sort of data? Hundreds of  internal sensors are already collecting data about your car. In the near-future, self-driving cars will also generate hundreds of terabytes of real-time data about road and traffic conditions, traffic volumes, and even weather reports.

All of that Data is going to put demands on storage and analysis, especially in areas like predictive analytics and anomaly detection. The payoff will be much safer cars and an all round better driving experience, with the cars themselves providing the data for better roads and more efficient cars. For that reason, as reported in Forbes, auto manufacturers are already looking for ways to monetize that data.

The days of Big Data hype are over. We’re now at the stage of real enterprise adoption across so many verticals, you might be surprised at the ways Big Data is affecting you without your even realizing it. This trend is only going to continue as more exciting and disruptive applications are applied in every industry sector.

Forbes:

You Might Also Read:

Big Data And AI For Predicting Human Behaviour

« North Korea Is Using The Internet Like The Mafia
Cyber Audits: The Missing Layer in Cybersecurity »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

Cyber Security Supplier Directory

Cyber Security Supplier Directory

Our Supplier Directory lists 6,000+ specialist cyber security service providers in 128 countries worldwide. IS YOUR ORGANISATION LISTED?

Practice Labs

Practice Labs

Practice Labs is an IT competency hub, where live-lab environments give access to real equipment for hands-on practice of essential cybersecurity skills.

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO is the market leader in HPE Non-Stop Security, Risk Management and Compliance.

LockLizard

LockLizard

Locklizard provides PDF DRM software that protects PDF documents from unauthorized access and misuse. Share and sell documents securely - prevent document leakage, sharing and piracy.

Clayden Law

Clayden Law

Clayden Law advise global businesses that buy and sell technology products and services. We are experts in information technology, data privacy and cybersecurity law.

Okta

Okta

Okta is an enterprise-grade identity management service, built from the ground up in the cloud to address the challenges of a cloud-mobile-interconnected world.

AML Solutions

AML Solutions

AML Solutions offer a full range of Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) services.

Roke Manor Research

Roke Manor Research

Roke is a world-class electronics engineering consultancy. Areas of expertise include cyber security, cyber assurance and cryptographic solutions.

DefenseStorm

DefenseStorm

DefenseStorm is a Security Data Platform that watches everything on your network and matches it to your policies, providing cybersecurity management that is safe, compliant and cost effective.

sayTEC

sayTEC

sayTEC's mission is to develop and deliver next-generation products and services in encrypted data and voice transmission.

Cyber Security & Cloud Expo

Cyber Security & Cloud Expo

The Cyber Security & Cloud Expo is an international event series in London, Amsterdam and Silicon Valley.

NeuroChain

NeuroChain

NeuroChain is an intelligent ecosystem that is more secure, more reliable and much faster than blockchain.

Data Theorem

Data Theorem

Data Theorem is a leading provider in modern application security. Its core mission is to analyze and secure any modern application anytime, anywhere.

Ampliphae

Ampliphae

Ampliphae gives you an easy-to-deploy, sophisticated and affordable cloud-discovery, security and compliance platform.

North American International Cyber Summit

North American International Cyber Summit

The North American International Cyber Summit brings together experts from around the globe to provide timely content and address a variety of cybersecurity issues impacting the world.

L3Harris Technologies

L3Harris Technologies

L3Harris Technologies is a global aerospace and defense technology innovator, delivering solutions to meet mission-critical needs across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains.

Acronis

Acronis

At Acronis, we protect the data, applications, systems and productivity of every organization – safeguarding them against cyberattacks, hardware failures, natural disasters and human errors.

CyberSanctus

CyberSanctus

CyberSanctus provide clients with a variety of pentest plans from the entry level starter plan, which is tailored for personal websites, to enterprise level pentests, tailored for large scale business

SolidityScan

SolidityScan

SolidityScan is an advanced smart contract scanning tool designed to uncover vulnerabilities and proactively address risks within your code.

Verastel

Verastel

Specializing in the niche space of proactive cyber-defense, and adaptive resilience, team Verastel is bolstering enterprise digital security like never before.

AccessIT Group

AccessIT Group

AccessIT Group is a specialized cybersecurity solutions provider offering a full range of advanced security services.