Big Data Movement: A Challenge in Data Processing

Abstract

This chapter discusses modern methods of data processing, especially data parallelization and data processing by bio-inspired methods. The synthesis of novel methods is performed by selected evolutionary algorithms and demonstrated on the astrophysical data sets. Such approach is now characteristic for so called Big Data and Big Analytics. First, we describe some new database architectures that support Big Data storage and processing. We also discuss selected Big Data issues, specifically the data sources, characteristics, processing, and analysis. Particular interest is devoted to parallelism in the service of data processing and we discuss this topic in detail. We show how new technologies encourage programmers to consider parallel processing not only in a distributive way (horizontal scaling), but also within each server (vertical scaling). The chapter also intensively discusses interdisciplinary intersection between astrophysics and computer science, which has been denoted astroinformatics, including a variety of data sources and examples. The last part of the chapter is devoted to selected bio-inspired methods and their application on simple model synthesis from astrophysical Big Data collections. We suggest a method how new algorithms can be synthesized by bio-inspired approach and demonstrate its application on an astronomy Big Data collection. The usability of these algorithms along with general remarks on the limits of computing are discussed at the conclusion of this chapter.