Making sense of the data deluge

Or is there something to be said about the avalanche of information out there?

To take in the scale of the problem, as of 2017, human digital data equated to 2.7 zettabytes, or 341 billion three-minute songs. To stack it all into iPads would amount to four structures as big as the Empire State Building. Seems a lot.

Put another way, if we gave it physical mass, it would only weigh roughly 1.6 tonnes, or 0.000002 per cent of the total mass of pork produced in the UK annually.

So, yes, there is a lot of information, but we’re not even scratching the surface of what’s possible. I suspect the problem isn’t the volume of data, but the ability to identify what’s relevant, the ability to present that in a way we can use and then the ability to extract value.

In my opinion, these are the challenges facing precision livestock farming and, at AHDB, we’re starting to look into how to solve a problem like data.

We know data exists on each aspect of the production process, but joining these data points together is, currently, a colossal task. But if we increase the amount of data held by each individual animal, I suspect a link can be made, be it using tried-and-tested technology, such as electronic identification, or emerging technologies, such as cameras for individual recognition.

Once we know which pig came from which genetic lines, which processes it went through and what it yielded in terms of product and the associated welfare standards, we can join the dots.

Imagine data telling you which pen always fails you in terms of pleurisy, or identifying which sire lines don’t work for you versus which do, on a week-by-week basis. Imagine data powerful enough to predict the final slaughter weight of pigs 20 weeks before they are due to be sent to the processor.

We’ll be talking a lot more on this topic at the Pig World Pigs Tomorrow conference next month. The event will bring the pig sector together for the industry’s biggest conference of the year.

We’ll be combining discussion about some of the big industry issues, from antibiotics and animal health and welfare, with a detailed look at some of the technological advances taking place within the industry that could help pig businesses operate more effectively.

If you’re a levy payer, the event is free to attend, simply register online to reserve your place: http://www.pigstomorrow.com

Ben Williams, AHDB Knowledge Transfer Senior Manager