The timely, accurate monitoring of social indicators, such as poverty or inequality, on a fine- grained spatial and temporal scale is a crucial tool for understanding social phenomena and policymaking, but poses a great challenge to official statistics. This article argues that an interdisciplinary approach, combining the body of statistical research in small area estimation with the body of research in social data mining based on Big Data, can provide novel means to tackle this problem successfully. Big Data derived from the digital crumbs that humans leave behind in their daily activities are in fact providing ever more accurate proxies of social life. Social data mining from these data, coupled with advanced model-based techniques for fine-grained estimates, have the potential to provide a novel microscope through which to view and understand social complexity. This article suggests three ways to use Big Data together with small area estimation techniques, and shows how Big Data has the potential to mirror aspects of well-being and other socioeconomic phenomena.
Small area model-based estimators using big data sources
MARCHETTI, STEFANO
;GIUSTI, CATERINA;PRATESI, MONICA;SALVATI, NICOLA;PEDRESCHI, DINO;PAPPALARDO, LUCA;
2015-01-01
Abstract
The timely, accurate monitoring of social indicators, such as poverty or inequality, on a fine- grained spatial and temporal scale is a crucial tool for understanding social phenomena and policymaking, but poses a great challenge to official statistics. This article argues that an interdisciplinary approach, combining the body of statistical research in small area estimation with the body of research in social data mining based on Big Data, can provide novel means to tackle this problem successfully. Big Data derived from the digital crumbs that humans leave behind in their daily activities are in fact providing ever more accurate proxies of social life. Social data mining from these data, coupled with advanced model-based techniques for fine-grained estimates, have the potential to provide a novel microscope through which to view and understand social complexity. This article suggests three ways to use Big Data together with small area estimation techniques, and shows how Big Data has the potential to mirror aspects of well-being and other socioeconomic phenomena.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
---|---|---|---|
jos-2015-0017.pdf
accesso aperto
Tipologia:
Versione finale editoriale
Licenza:
Tutti i diritti riservati (All rights reserved)
Dimensione
432.35 kB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
432.35 kB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.