Driving innovation with big data

The term big data refers to the complex and extremely large data sets that can be collected in the modern world and is usually used to discuss the application of computing power to analyse such sets with the goal of identifying trends and patterns. One example of big data within the optics industry is its use in the development of lens products. Optician spoke to three lens companies who utilise big data on what it involves and how it can benefit patients.

‘Shamir has actually used big data for years, right from the advent of individualised lenses, before the term was so popular,’ says Amnon Kanter, product manager at Shamir Optical. ‘To benefit from big data in the lens business you need a research team to direct what information to collect, you need infrastructure to gather the information into and then you need a system to clean the data, to explore it and to derive insights.’