Inconsistencies in big data

We are faced with a torrent of data generated and captured in digital form as a result of the advancement of sciences, engineering and technologies, and various social, economical and human activities. This big data phenomenon ushers in a new era where human endeavors and scientific pursuits will be aided by not only human capital, and physical and financial assets, but also data assets. Research issues in big data and big data analysis are embedded in multi-dimensional scientific and technological spaces. In this paper, we first take a close look at the dimensions in big data and big data analysis, and then focus our attention on the issue of inconsistencies in big data and the impact of inconsistencies in big data analysis. We offer classifications of four types of inconsistencies in big data and point out the utility of inconsistency-induced learning as a tool for big data analysis.