大数据的最大挑战来自气候变化

    我们已经在一场数据革命之中

    今年早些时候，奥巴马政府推出了官方的气象研究网站Climate.data.gov，上面有100多种精心编辑的高质量数据以及网页服务和工具，任何人都可以利用这些数据与工具来研究气候变化的影响。与此同时，NASA也在今年四月的一次大型协作活动上，邀请普通民众协助其寻找应对沿海洪灾的解决方案。

    最近，联合国“全球脉动”行动（UN Global Pulse）推出了一项“大数据气候挑战”项目，将一些用大数据研究气候变化对经济的影响的项目通过众包的形式进行了发布。

    “全球脉动”行动主要致力于全球各地的扶贫救灾与发展事业，该行动的首席科学家卢恩戈•奥罗兹表示：“我们已经收到了来自20多个国家的在能源、智能城市、林业和农业等领域的意见书。我们也希望收到建筑、绿色数据中心、风险管理和材料科学等领域的意见书。”

    卢恩戈•奥罗兹补充道，大数据还可以用于提高突发灾害的应急工作效率，提供更广泛地获取知识的渠道，以及帮助我们更好地了解私人与政府的决策会对地球的气候造成哪些影响。

    奥罗兹表示：“然而拯救我们的不是那些数据，而是那些让我们能做出更好的决策来应对气候变化的数据分析与使用方法。这就像气候变化本身一样，现在已经不是‘它开始了吗’的问题。我们已经在一场数据革命之中。”（财富中文网）

    译者：朴成奎

    ‘We are in a data revolution’

    Earlier this year, the Obama administration launchedClimate.data.gov with more than 100 curated, high-quality data sets, Web services, and tools that can be used by anyone to help prepare for the effects of climate change. At the same time, NASA invited citizens to help find solutions to the coastal flooding challenge at an April mass-collaboration event.

    More recently, UN Global Pulse launched a Big Data Climate Challenge to crowdsource projects that use big data to address the economic dimensions of climate change.

    “We’ve already received submissions from 20 countries in energy, smart cities, forestry and agriculture,” said Miguel Luengo-Oroz, chief scientist for Global Pulse, which focuses on relief and development efforts around the world. “We also hope to see submissions from fields such as architecture, green data centers, risk management and material sciences.”

    Big data can allow for more efficient responses to emerging crises, distributed access to knowledge, and greater understanding of the effects personal and policy decisions have on the planet’s climate, Luengo-Oroz added.

    “But it’s not the data that will save us,” he said. “It’s the analysis and usage of the data that can help us make better decisions for climate action. Just like with climate change, it is no longer a question of, ‘is this happening?’ We are in a data revolution.”