blog 3 (historical development of Big data)
Blog 3: The Early Beginnings of Big Data (1960s–1980s)
The history of big data started long before the term “big data” became popular. During the 1960s and 1970s, businesses and governments began using computers to store large amounts of information. At that time, data was mainly stored using punch cards and magnetic tapes. These systems were slow and had very limited storage capacity compared to modern technology.
One major development during this period was the creation of relational databases. In 1970, computer scientist Edgar F. Codd introduced the relational database model while working at IBM. This model allowed organizations to store data in tables, making it easier to organize and retrieve information. This innovation became the foundation for modern database management systems.
During the 1980s, businesses began using computers more frequently for record keeping. Banks stored customer transactions digitally, hospitals kept patient records electronically, and governments managed census information using databases. Although the amount of data was much smaller than today, organizations were already facing challenges related to storage and processing speed.
Data during this era was considered “structured data,” meaning it was neatly organized into rows and columns. There was very little unstructured data such as videos, images, or social media content because the internet had not yet become widely available.
These early developments laid the foundation for big data technologies used today. Without relational databases and early storage systems, modern data analysis would not exist.
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