Chapter 16

Ten Key Big Data Collection Tools

In This Chapter

arrow Understanding some of the most useful data collection tools

arrow Being aware of the data available

arrow Finding out how this data could be used in your business

The sheer volume of data available can be daunting – and so can the number of big data products, tools and platforms out there to help you collect and analyse data. What’s the best way to collect data and how are other businesses going about things? In this chapter I identify my top tools for gathering big data and give helpful examples of how other businesses and organisations use these tools.

Keep in mind that you may well need a combination of tools to answer your strategic questions (I talk about those in Chapter 11). For example, when working with clients, I often find the most useful insights come from combining internal data (like transaction data) with external data (such as Twitter posts). A similar approach may work for you.

Smartphone GPS Sensor

GPS sensors track where you are by using satellite information. Many people use their phones to find things of interest near them or to get directions to a particular location, but GPS can do so much more. Your smartphone ...

Get Big Data For Small Business For Dummies now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.