Europe needs to get new data protection rules agreed and in place as soon as possible, creating a single market for data to boost competitiveness on the global scene. “We can’t lose time; we are talking about our prosperity,” said Neelie Kroes, Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, opening the Science|Business Smarter Data for Europe conference.
There are now six megabytes of data for every person on the planet. “It’s just incredible; outside of the imagination,” Kroes said. But advances in machine learning, data mining, visualisation and other analytics are making it possible to tame, manipulate and interrogate this torrent. “The amazing thing is not just the amount but what you can do with it,” she said.
