Comment Neelie (Kroes)

[...] Take just one sector: healthcare. A complex task like decoding the human genetic code – needing analysis of 3 billion base pairs— took ten whole years back in 2003: now it can be achieved in just one week. Thanks to faster processing. At these speeds big data becomes relevant for day-to-day decision-making. So there are big data benefits in preventing diseases, cutting out unnecessary tests, or testing how effective new drugs and treatments actually are. Indeed, one study put the value of big data in US healthcare at over $300 billion a year.