BIG DATA : THREE SECTORS POISED TO BENEFIT.

Undoubtedly, healthis one of the leading beneficiaries of the big data economy. The data can be used to improve prevention of certain diseases and epidemics or to enhance treatment. An example: "By analysing users' Google searches, a team was able to detect the arrival of flu epidemics more quickly," notes the General Commissariat for Strategy and Forecasts in France. Another illustration: by exploring data available on Facebook, researchers identified teenagers engaged in high-risk behaviour with a view to targeting prevention campaigns. At the same time, health data belong to the "sensitive" category, like data on political affiliation, sexual orientation or religious conviction. "They could be used by health services or insurance companies to refuse treatment or clients, or to shape the behaviour of insured persons," note the same French experts. So it is not very surprising that this is the subject of a complex debate in the context of the proposal for an EU regulation on the protection of personal data

Financial serviceshave been one of the big winners from big data. Analysis of information and data crunching from a person's financial situation or credit card use has made it possible to speed up the process of opening a bank account or detecting fraudulent use of a card. "With no physical products to manufacture, data - the source of information - are one of arguably their most important assets" in the financial sector, highlights a report by IBM and Said Business School at the University of Oxford. According to the report, 71% of banking and financial markets firms found that the use of big data is creating a competitive advantage for their organisations, compared with 63% of...