QS Discussions #2 – Personal Data meets Big Data

An increasing number of people uses tracking devices to understand and improve their behavior, but for most purposes data sets are small. Even tracking by pen and paper still works fine to control weight, hours slept or fitness programs.

Big data, so far, is only a topic for companies and governments. But we see devices and services emerging that allow to track massive amounts of personal data automatically and thereby enable new possibilities.

What will we be able to track about our lives when watches, glasses, cameras, cars and homes get infused with computational power and connectivity and become “smart”? What can we learn when physiological data (e.g. heart rate, stress markers, sleep quality, genes) and environmental data like location, air pollution or which people we are surrounded by can be continuously tracked and put in relation on an individual level?

We will explore this topic with our speakers, who will present the perspectives of users, innovators and science and are curious about the questions that you will bring to the event.