Big Data
- Lena
- Oct 19, 2018
- 2 min read
Overview of Big Data and Applications within Sports Technology
Definition of Big Data
Big Data has more dimensions than the name suggests; ‘big’ is more than just size. Big Data is often broken down into four main dimensions, though some argue that its complexity calls for more. The four dimensions of Big Data are:
Volume: the size and scale of the data
Variety: the type and style of the data from its respective datasource
Velocity: the frequency/speed of the data streaming
Veracity: the uncertainty or trustworthiness of the data
The applications of Big Data to inform decisions are endless. This has added a new dimension within analytics moving from descriptive analytics to predictive and prescriptive analytics. With Big Data, people can measure many aspects of everyone's daily lives; whether that’s the amount of time spent on certain web pages, number of clicks through a website, emails sent, GPS locators, or wearable sensors, the wealth of informational data enables people to glean deep insights into human behavior. These insights are transforming the world as businesses look to better target their users, optimize their resources, and guide their decision making processes.
Applications of Big Data in Sports Technology
The sports industry is one of many industries slowly being transformed by big data. Sports technologies gather data spanning from individual athletes’ health to team movements and plays.
During practice and trainings, some athletes wear heart rate monitors and accelerometers to measure heart rate variability, step cadence, and acceleration. The data gathered from heart rate can measure work rates and fatigue levels, helping trainers better understand an athlete's individualized needs for recovery time to prevent injury. Step cadence and acceleration data can help trainers and athletes understand which areas of their movement need more work. For instance, a sprinter may use this data to better understand their explosive movements off of the starting block. By analyzing each step's acceleration and velocity, sprinters can understand which components of their starts can be improved. Overall, Big Data allows athletes and trainers to glean insights on current training sessions and to understand and optimize future training sessions to maximize improvement.
Looking at teams more holistically, companies such as Second Spectrum use video tracking technology to gather 3D spatial data on NBA games to collect data about player, referee, and ball movements to generate a whole new level of game statistics. This data could potentially be used in the future to analyze which types of set plays work best and what each individual player can to improve upon to better their game. Additionally, the use of Big Data can eventually improve coaching strategies by analyzing the entire game at a statistical level.
Many people stress the importance of using data to drive decisions; with the growing abundance of data in all facets of our lives, it will be interesting to see how the world evolves with this wealth of information.
I agree with Allissa, you did a great job of breaking down big data! After all, it's just a buzzword that's used to describe general information we can use to inform decisions. And you handled the legitimate complexities of the dimensions of big data well too! I've never really been a sports statistics type of person, but it would be really cool if big data opened up new insights in the way people can train and perform in physical tasks. If big data helped us figure out more efficient ways to do physical actions, it would be pretty crazy. To think that digital technology could transform how we physically operate (in ways other than implants) is pretty wild.
I feel like so often the term 'big data' can seem intimidating or abstract to grasp, but having it broken down into the four categories (volume/variety/velocity/veracity) makes it so much easier to synthesize. Really intrigued to watch how sports / coaching sports evolve in the coming years with games and playing styles now being analyzed at such a statistical level. I also wonder how athletes are going to feel having their constant measured statistics out in the world.