Final answer:
Big Data is characterized by attributes such as volume (e.g., over 15 terabytes), velocity (e.g., data generated at 8 megabytes per second), and variety (e.g., numerous types of data sources and formats), all of which require advanced computing to manage.
Step-by-step explanation:
Big Data is characterized by a variety of attributes that indicate its complexity and size. Three attributes of data that would indicate that it may be big data are:
- Volume: This represents the amount of data. For instance, in the case of the Sloan Survey, over 15 terabytes of data were recorded. The sheer size of this data, comparable to the information contained in the Library of Congress, clearly places it within the realms of big data.
- Velocity: Refers to the speed at which new data is generated and moves. The Sloan Survey data came in at 8 megabytes per second, indicating a high velocity that necessitates advanced computing power to handle.
- Variety: Big data typically comes from various sources and includes different types of data, whether structured or unstructured. For instance, galaxy images requiring classification, lists of monthly data points, or ballots from an election all involve a variety of data types.
Organizing and sorting such volume and variety at high velocities is a formidable challenge that often requires supercomputers and advanced algorithms to process efficiently.