Big Data Perceptions 6/2015

DIKW reflections does big data mean big wisdom?

Kamil Brzak
If you investigate the abbreviation DIKW, you can find out very quickly its meaning. It is one of the essential
principles of knowledge management. Better said a tool how to approach and understand the process of learning.
What the DIKW really is?
The exact origin of the term is pretty unknown. For sure, it was communicated in early 80s by come people in
different forms. About history, you can find many articles so lets go for the nutshell what is what and how to
understand the things in regard to big data.

D DATA aka KNOW-NOTHING

On that level we do no know anything. We just have many different elements and yes, many many many
different elements in case of big data. It looks like a heap of garbage with no sense. At that moment, it is necessary
to realize that there should be something inside what could be certainly very valuable. Similarly when the very
baby could not understand the words. But it is very curious and motivated to understand and communicate back.
And that is the reason why it become to understand and communicate in the right time (my children were very
motivated).
So the outcome from above is that we need something, a tool or an ability, how to process the huge amount of
everything.
Example of data: 1492, 1779, apple, nice, smell, medium, bad, red, ball

I INFORMATION aka KNOW-WHAT

It is very important moment now. If we moved from KNOW-NOTHING to KNOW-WHAT phase, we made to
ourselves an attention that we realize something important. The process of data collection runs now. Data are
sorted to logical molecules and these molecules give us the information. What we need now is the evidence that
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our information gives sense. Again we need something what helps us to distinguish the sense and non-sense. We
do not want to have an information (usually!) such: rectangled apple, or wet sun thus if you are not e.g.
modern artist. We need on the contrary an information which help us to know something, e.g. that apple is red,
or sun is hot. We need to correlate information into valid knowledge. Tah dah!
Example of information: red apple, smelling mushroom, hot sun, wooden water

K KNOWLEDGE aka KNOW-HOW

Knowledge is very beautiful phase of the process. It is the phase of two faces: very soothing and on the other
hand misleading. When we grab, gain or create knowledge from information, there is a risk we are going to create
a monster. Or a misconcept. Let me give you an example. You KNOW now, how to approach information about
things. We can automate the knowledge Apple is always red, that knows every little child dude!, or I always
lock my door, or... Robbery gives me money.What we exactly did now? We built up the knowledge based on
available information or information set, based on load of data. But is it correct? Maybe yes we took data, mixed
up to information and glued into knowledge. So, why robbery does not work every time? And why the apple is
green sometimes. Or yellow? Well, it looks like we need something what can help us to evaluate gained or
potential knowledge. We need experience. We need wisdom. We need continuous iterrations.
Example of knowledge: smelling mushroom grew in the wood, flat frog leaps to sharpen pillow

W WISDOM aka KNOW-WHY

And thats it. To get the right outputs and results, we need evaluated, well sorted and correct knowledge (I know
it could be a little issue from philosophical perspective, but let me stay with my pretty, western-culture-based
stance). That knowledge could not come from nowhere. It is a process to face many failures, misunderstandings,
patience, love. It is continuous recognition of the world around and this recognition could lead us to know, why
things happen. Thanks to that, we do not repeat to eat poisoned mushrooms... well... most of us. Or, we can
predict many things like that during the winter snow could fall down. We can combine snow will fall down
during the winter and the chance is bigger in mountains.
Example of wisdom: smelling mushrooms grew in the wood because there are a cold, wet conditions

Conclusion
So, DIKW process or cycle is very important to survive and to get the competetive advantage. In every phase we
appreciate the right tool for pass through to next phase, or level of pyramid. Shortly summarized:

DATA I need something to gain all that data like the essential building blocks
INFORMATION I need something to sort and combine data into meaningful product
KNOWLEDGE I need something what helps me gain a value from information to transform it to
another (bigger) value
WISDOM I need something what supports me to predict things, to change the paradigm when
necessary, to lead and help others

Think about it while you look for the right big data tool. It should fulfill all the needs coming from each phase
above:

Could get huge amount of data in real-time (independently on its source)

Could sort data quickly and correctly and give the instant information
Could correlate information into knowledge
Could predict the trends based on previous experience or knowledge

I can do it all with Splunk.