Prognos AG and Professor Dirk Heckmann from the Chair of Public Law, Security Law, and Internet Law at the University of Passau investigated the potential applications of big data in Bavaria on behalf of the Bavarian Business Association (vbw). The results were presented yesterday at a conference of the Bavarian Business Future Council.
The study "Big Data in the Free State of Bavaria – Opportunities and Challenges" shows that the economic potential is considerable and the conditions for the successful implementation of innovative applications in the Free State are good. However, the study also reveals significant obstacles to the use of large amounts of data: 67% of respondents complain about a lack of internal expertise, 53% see no opportunities to expand their business areas through the use of big data, and 50% feel limited by legal hurdles.
The analysis of large amounts of data is still primarily the domain of large companies: 58% of all companies with more than 500 employees already use big data. This proportion decreases as company size decreases. Among companies with 50 to 249 employees, the number is still 33%, while among small companies with 5 to 19 employees, the number is just 13%.
“Big Data is a growth driver”
Alfred Gaffal, President of the vbw, explains the recommendations for action from the study:
"Bavaria occupies a leading position internationally among high-tech regions. We can only secure our prosperity and jobs if we increasingly focus on innovation and technological leadership. Big data is a growth driver for the future success of our location."
The Future Council recommends developing a big data strategy for Germany, for the Free State, and for every Bavarian company. Furthermore, Bavaria's position as a research location must be strengthened in this area, and a broad societal debate must be conducted on ethical issues surrounding future data use. Gaffal:
"The intelligent analysis and use of large amounts of data is increasingly becoming a critical competitive factor for companies. We must support small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular, in recognizing and exploiting their potential through big data."
The President of the Technical University of Munich, Professor Dr. Wolfgang A. Herrmann, explains:
“Technological progress enables us to refine vague knowledge from enormous amounts of data and to derive new, economically advantageous courses of action from complex multi-parameter relationships.”
Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Ilse Aigner, sees Big Data as one of the major future topics for the economy:
"Big data represents a huge opportunity for our economy. The knowledge contained in these large amounts of data can help companies become more efficient and assert themselves against the competition."
Aigner’s plans are correspondingly ambitious:
“My goal is to make Bavaria a pioneer in Big Data and to bring added value and new jobs to Bavaria.”
