“Data has become a critical commodity in the 21st century economy. Recent new technologies have accelerated the growth in sheer volume of data collected, and devices such as sensors,

smart phones and tablets are fueling the data explosion, leading to a doubling of the world’s digital data in just the past two years. At the same time, the latest data warehouses, distributed file systems, analytical tools and affordable cloud-sourced computing power provide ways to find meaning and value in the mountains of data.”