DATA MANAGEMENT
Dark data: valuable insights orwaste of space?
How can manufacturers tackle dark data for maximum productivity? Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director at obsolete equipment supplier EU Automation, discusses wth Andy Pye ways in which manufacturers can use their dark data for commercial benefit
I
n 1945, an engineer named Percy Spencer was testing energy sources for radar equipment in a laboratory, when he realised a chocolate bar in his pocket had somehowmelted. Not long after, themicrowave oven was born.
In manufacturing, it is also possible to make
accidental discoveries; one avenue which is proving particularly fruitful is the use of dark data. The phrase “dark data” is used to refer to
information collected by a business but which is not used for any operational purpose. For manufacturers, the data can be collected during a production process or frombusiness enterprise operations. The phrase is oftenmet with a shudder, due to a lack of understanding of what it is and how it can be used.However, dark data does not necessarilymean bad data. In the dawn of Industry 4.0, fast-moving
manufacturing facilities have become increasingly data-heavy environments, with information sourced frommachine logs, equipment sensors and even socialmedia and consumer demand. Data comes fromamyriad places – but not all of this data is used effectively. Inmany cases, if analysed and integrated with
the value chain, dark data can be used tomake better decisions. Currently, data can be captured fromsuch a wide range of inputs that the potential tomake smarter and faster forecasts and decisions is rapidly increasing, as long as plantmanagers know where data is stored and what to do with it. Data relating to production information and
consumer insight can be used to drive innovation or improve quality; this information can be used by designers and engineers to improve customer experience and product performance.However, not all data collected can be used to produce a meaningful result.
With increased amounts of data in the enterprise, decisions need to be made on what provides benefit and what consititutes nothing more than a storage overhead
SORTING THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF Despite the potential benefits, not all data is worth saving, as it can be expensive to store andmaintain. If the data is customer-related, risks can also arise frombreaches and unauthorised sharing, damaging the reputation of the business. In some industries, such as pharmaceuticals, there are stricter requirements on the storage and formatting of data. If a pharmaceutical company had an issue with the storage or formatting of its clinical trial data, it could lose valuable insights andmay be liable for any losses. Dark data can offermanufacturers an untapped
resource for potential insight – ormay be a costly waste of space. To decide whether tomake themost of the data or to erase it, companies first need to understand where their dark data is and where it has come from. Formostmanufacturers, data is generated either by staff or equipment, before it is stored and forgotten. Enforcing data policies and training staff on the
handling and analysis of data will help companies make better business decisions. If a newmachine or systemis added, the plantmanager should consider what data it will accumulate and how this will be
managed.Manufacturers should be aware of where data is coming fromand what regulations specify they can keep. Beingmore aware of where data is coming from
and how it can be used can benefitmanufacturers looking tomake intelligent business decisions, as well as those who just want to save time and space. EE
August 2017 /// Environmental Engineering /// 19
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