The Best of Australian Science: April 2014
FollowIt’s the end of April, 2014. It’s our time to summarise what we have done during this month. In fact, we are going to recount the best highlights for April.
Here are the most exciting and interesting articles of this month.
What is Big Data, and why it matters? by Danica Radovanovic
Big Data refers to technology (tools and processes) and large amounts of data that is difficult to store, manage, analyse, share, and visualise with the traditional database software tools. From the semantic perspective, big data isn’t new concept at all: every time we generate data, we also generate metadata, “data about data”, along with the data protocols. From technological point of view, big data is just a buzzword, aiming to describe a large volume of both structured and unstructured data. Those massive data sets are difficult to process therefore they require using traditional database and software techniques.
The Future of Solar Power Technologies in Australia by Dunya
As the cost of fossil fuels go up around the world, and the impact of climate change becoming increasingly avoidable, people are looking for reliable, alternative sources of energy. With the favourable climate in Australia, it’s a no-brainer that solar power is the way forward. But gone are the days of inefficient panels at extraordinary prices – and Australian researchers are leading the way.
The Science behind Architecture
The Oxford Dictionary defines architecture as being: ‘the art and science of designing buildings and (some) nonbuilding structures’. (Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 1993). And now, there is more science behind architecture than ever before – from earthquake and hurricane proof to advanced soundproofing and more, a building is no longer ‘just a building’, and the design needs to be more than just aesthetically pleasing – it needs to be functional too.
Market Research: Science vs. Art by Alex Petrovic
Market research in itself is a science. At its core, it is about collecting qualitative and quantitative data about customers and the target markets of a particular product or service. The key purpose of market research is to ensure a business or product stays ahead of its competition. The goal once the data is collected is to analyse, interpret and assess what the market wants and needs; it also looks at competition and the size of the need. Using this assessment, businesses can work out how best to market their product.
Please stay curious and scientifically passionate! New stories are coming soon.