SciDevNet: Big data can only capture the past -- without theory, they cannot predict into a changing future, says Martin Hilbert.
Recently, much has been written, talked, and done about the usefulness of big data for development. The UN Economic and Social Council recognises that "big data have the potential to produce more relevant and more timely statistics than traditional sources of official statistics, such as survey and administrative data sources', while the OECD is convinced that "big data now represents...