The great amount of data generated every day makes it unable to measure and process the human brain. According to the World Economic Forum, there will be 450 exabytes every 24 hours in 2025 (in other words, three billion discs with music in MP3 format).

The good news is that this data is a cornerstone for building a better future: the use of new technologies such as IoT (internet of things), artificial intelligence (AI), advanced analytics or big data allow us to take this huge unconnected set of data and turn it into a source of knowledge for correct decision making.

What follows are just a few examples of how this can result in higher levels of sustainability, innovation, equity and life quality. The truth is, the action field is practically infinite.

Sustainability: from production to distribution

One of the axes for improving life quality thanks to the use of data is sustainability. The incorporation of automation, artificial intelligence and big data in manufacturing companies, for example, makes it possible to generate a more responsible and careful journey with the environment, which begins with the design of the product (use of recycled materials and reduction in the use of plastics) to distribution (optimal routes traced with AI to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide from vehicles), passing of course through demand planning (reduction of waste and stock exces).

To a better healthcare

Another aspect in which data comes to improve people’s lives is the ability to process large volumes of information related to medical records and genetic material in order to intelligently combine to develop more accurate therapies, a resounding and unequivocal accuracy in diagnoses or an unprecedented acceleration in the development of drugs and vaccines. In addition, there are currently notable advances in the research and development of efficient and effective treatments for different types of cancer, for example.

Smart technologies and big data can also be applied to identify risk groups for a given disease in a given geography to outline preventive actions and develop self-care processes among the population, and generate monitoring systems. All this combined with genomics gcreates what is known as «personalized medicine»: each person has a treatment according to their characteristics, their needs and their response to medication.

Smart moves

Smart cities are another way in which data promotes a better future: nowadays, urban centers that are supported by the use of data, use their resources optimally and offer a high-experience service for citizens.

Intelligent traffic lights that change frequency according to the flow of traffic, automatic calculation of available beds in the health system, smart collection and classification of waste, clever transportation so that people can travel more comfortable and safer, preventive maintenance of lights, management of natural disasters to minimize damage, digital government so that no one has to stand in line to obtain public service, etc. The possibilities are endless and are just beginning to be explored.

Food for a growing population

The world of agriculture can also take advantage of data to optimize its production: analysis of the quality of the soil to start a new sowing period at the best time, the evaluation of the state of each animal in livestock, the perfect application of fertilizers or other elements to increase yield, advance planning of demand to satisfy it and to establish adequate logistics, optimal irrigation levels to avoid wasting water, detection of pests and pathogens to prevent loss of plants… All these advances result in an immeasurable benefit: more food accessible to a growing population.

Sustainability, innovation, equity, life quality, ethics, responsibility… Data is the key that opens the door to a better future.