Skepticism about value of mobile network big data in managing infectious diseases


Posted on May 12, 2015  /  0 Comments

Interesting reaction to Ken Cukier’s data evangelism at MSF. Additional proof that Ken wrote the editorial on ebola and mobile data for the Economist.

The idea that big data from mobile phones could have helped predict how Ebola spreads and so saved lives in West Africa, if only telecom companies had released it, seemed both powerful and out of sync at a gathering of Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff last week.

Ken Cukier, data editor of The Economist, kicked off the first of the medical aid charity’s two scientific days on 7 May with a charismatic talk that made the case for big data as the inevitable future and, in the case of Ebola, the “gold dust” that could have reduced fatalities.

It was difficult to judge the audience’s reaction — there was enthusiasm on Twitter but big data came up just once again in the course of the day. It seemed to capture the imagination, as ideas that push boundaries can do, but also seemed a world away from what MSF staff are grappling with.

– See more at: http://www.scidev.net/global/data/scidev-net-at-large/big-data-the-gold-dust-of-medical-aid.html?utm_content=bufferffe9e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#sthash.LS8OVIPo.dpuf

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