Nelson Marlborough Institute: Big Data Project Proposal

This project proposal outlines a study focused on identifying new trending tools in big data analysis and their potential impact, including ethical considerations. The research aims to explore the role of big data analytics in organizations, identify driving trends and tools, and assess their implications for users and customers, with a strong emphasis on ethical considerations. The methodology involves reviewing secondary sources, developing and distributing questionnaires to big data professionals, and analyzing quantitative data using MS Excel and SPSS. The anticipated outcomes include findings from secondary sources and surveys, answers to research questions, and a comprehensive report. The project also discusses potential limitations, such as budget and approach, and identifies required resources, including software, library access, and monetary support. The study's ultimate goal is to provide insights into the evolving landscape of big data analysis and its ethical dimensions.

Statement of Project Proposal
To: Project Committee, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology
From: Your name
Date: date
Major: Your chosen major (if appropriate)
Re: Proposal for PRJ701 Project (or PRJ702 for Grad dips)
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Project Title
Identification of new trending tools for big data analysis.
Preferred Choice of Supervisor
[Please Fill]
Fundamental Project Goal
The fundamental goal of the proposed study is to identify the trends and tools that are
revolutionising the Big Data analysis and its potential impact on the Big Data analytics
associates that includes the users and the customers of the users. The paper will also focus on the
ethical aspect of current and coming trends in big data.
Statement of Major
The discussed project is aimed at identifying the trending tools that are and will

revolutionise the big data analytics and in the process of identification, the author will gain an
insight into the subject. Furthermore, the project will also consider the ethical implications that
the new trends may have on the big data and its associates, which will assist the studier in his
professional life. Understanding of the ethical implications will enable the author to use the
technology with proper ethical consideration.
Background
Big Data and new trends in it is the subject of major for the author so understanding of
the technology so that he will be ready for the professional world. The project has provided the
author to enhance his skills and knowledge in the big data and relevant field. It has opened up
paths for new learning and skill development. Furthermore, identification of the ethical
implications will help the author to develop himself as an ethical professional, which will
develop credibility in the corporate world. Additionally, proper execution of the project will
enable the author to seek attention from employers as a professional of big data. The reasons
discussed above are the most prominent reason for the interest of the author in the discussed
area. Apart from the above mentioned reasons, the increasing size of data and hence, the need for
big data is a factor for attraction and hence, the interest.
Another reason for the interest over the area of research is the case of Facebook
Cambridge Analytics where, Facebook sold the data of its users and Cambridge used the data for
decipher the interest and perception of the geographic dominated Facebook users (Issak &
Hanna, 2018). The discussed case have been analysed in different case studies however, no
proper attention has been cited on the potential misuse of the big data analytics technology.
Hence, to mitigate similar further potential misuse of the technology it is crucial to identify its
ethical implications so that proper framework for the use of the technology can be developed. So,

one of the factors that inspired the project is the case of Facebook Cambridge Analytics.
Big data is one of the major technological developments of the current era because of the
prominence offered by it. Big data refers to large sets of data that could be analysed using
different computational techniques so that trends, patterns along with associations relevant to
human interaction and behaviour could be identified (Wu et al., 2014). The findings from the big
data analytics is used by the firms to develop strategic plan of the firm taking account of the
employee. Hence, it would be justified to state that the big data analytics is playing prominent
role in the advancement and productivity of a firm.
The need for big data is crucial because it is estimated that over 2.7 Zeta bytes of data is
currently available on the digital universe and it is very difficult to analyse such huge size of data
even in small chunks through traditional analysis method. The above stated fact is at a global
level context however; on an individual basis, also the data are very large. The above-mentioned
statement could be supported by the fact that Google processes more than 40,000 searches
everyday while Walmart manages 1 million transaction data every hour. Similarly, Facebook
witness 300 million photos upload everyday with 510000 comments and 293000 status updates
all of which contributes to the data size of the organisation’s database (Huda et al., 2018).
Hence, processing such huge chunks of data to identify patterns, preferences and other factors is
very crucial for human analysis or traditional modes of analysis. The discussed need can be
simplified with big data analytics because it has been developed for analysis of huge chunks of
data. Furthermore, the capability of big data analytics is not limited to analysis of huge data but
future extends to analysis of data in details along with offering recommendations based on the
identified patterns and frameworks.
Project Activities

The primary focus of the proposed study will be focused on identification of the trends
and tools that are revolutionising the Big Data analysis and its potential impact on the Big Data
analytics associates that includes the users and the customers of the users. So, as part of the study
different activities need to be performed and some question needs to be answered. The questions
that needs to be answered includes:
i. What is Big Data Analytics and its role in organisation?
ii. What are the trends and tools that are and will drive the use of Big Data Analytics by its
users and potential users?
iii. What impact will the identified trends and tools will have on the Big Data users and its
customers?
iv. Are the current and upcoming trends ethical in nature?
To answer the questions successfully that had been discussed above certain activities
needs to be undertaken. The activities will include:
i. Review of the secondary work and pattern identification.
ii. Background establishment
iii. Selection of sample and population
iv. Development of questionnaire for data collection
v. Data collection
vi. Data analysing and summary
vii. Deriving conclusion
viii. Report Development.
The activities listed above needs to be undertaken to answer the questions that the study

will attempt to answer. The first activity that will be undertaken will be the review of the
secondary sources because the review will reflect on certain findings that will assist the studier to
understand the subject and the knowledge that is available in context to the subject. The
secondary sources in discussion refers to the scholarly studies that had been assessed in past or
present over the subject along with newspaper & magazine articles, blog posts by reliable firms,
government publications and similar others. The identifications will not only assist in
understanding subject but will also reveal certain facts based on which questionnaire for the
collection of the primary quantitative data will be developed. The questionnaire will then be
distributed among 20 Big Data professionals and based on the responses received; the analysis of
the data will be done. The sampling of the professionals will be done based on the random
sampling and the population will be from the geographical domain of the proposed study.
Post collection of the data, the quantitative data will be analysed with descriptive or
inferential analysis (based on the collected data). As part of the analysis MS Excel will be used
for (descriptive only) and SPSS (for both descriptive and Inferential). The selection of the tools
can be justified by the fact that the discussed are the most reliable tools for academic researches
and study. Furthermore, the availability of the tools is also simple as they are available at nearly
all University’s lab and even the student version is available for the tools. The analysed data will
then be compared and contrasted with the findings from the review. The results from the
compare and contrast will then be used for answering the questions using the critical thinking
and brainstorming of the studier. Finally, the study will be summarised to conclude on the paper.
Finally, a proper report will be developed for the presenting the study and its findings.
Skills Required
The completion of the project will deem need for certain crucial skills that includes both

technical and non-technical skills. As part of the technical skills, expertise of certain tools will be
necessary. The tools in discussion includes, MS Word for the report presentation, Google Forms
for the development of questionnaire that will be used for the collection of data, MS Excel for
the storing and processing of data and SPSS for inferential analysis. MS word is well versed by
the studier however, proper skills regarding the SPSS, MS Excel and Google Forms needs to be
developed and it will be developed from the free tutorials over the tools that are available on free
media sharing sites such as YouTube, Dailymotion, Twitch and Vimeo. Furthermore, the
expertise available at the university will also be asked for assistance. The author should also have
a high level of internet awareness so that the he can differentiate between the reliable-trustworthy
sources and untrustworthy publications on the internet. The author possesses the above-discussed
skill but for further assurance, only trusted search engines will be used.
As part of the non-technical skills, the author will need the skills of researching,
communicating, maintaining unbiased attitude, and similar others. The researching skills will be
used for identifying important articles, journals and other reliable sources as part of the
secondary data. The communication skill will be used for communicating with the participants of
the survey and the individuals who will offer guidance for the discussed project. Non-verbal
communication will be preferred over verbal because the participants will be communicated
through non-verbal means such as email or instant messaging services. Unbiased attitude is not a
skill rather an approach but is crucial for the project. It will ensure that the researcher will not
manipulate data to offer a biased result from the project.
Anticipated Outcomes
The outcome anticipated from the project will be diverse in nature that includes:

i. Findings from the secondary sources and the survey.
ii. Answers to the questions that the project will discuss.
iii. One of the most crucial finding from the project will be the ethical aspect of the big data
usage. The discussed finding has been considered as one of the most crucial because in
recent times it has been identified that the firms are using the capability of big data for
fulfilling personal objectives and agendas, which is evident from Facebook Cambridge
Analytics case.
iv. A summary of all the efforts, discussion and findings in the form of the report.
Required Resources
The resources required for the project can be classified in two categories that includes
materialistic (M) and non-materialistic (N) resources. The table presented below presents the
resources that will be required for the success of the project.
Resources Type Reason
Internet Access N For the collection of Secondary data and other
crucial needs.
Software M SPSS, Excel and Word for the storage and
analysis of the data.
Library resources M For enhancing the knowledge of the author so,
that better outcome can be obtained from the
project.
Monetary support M Not all secondary sources are available free
and hence, for accurate outcome of the project

certain items will need to be bought.
Guidance N As stated above the author will need guidance
in learning the skills needed for the project.
References N It is possible to contact the big data
professionals on own however, with reference
from the university the process will be
simplified. The time saved from the reference
will be used for other productive activities.
System M For use of the software, report development,
internet access, storing of data and other
crucial activities.
Possible Limitations
Budget and approach are the most prominent limitations that may influence the outcome
of the project. The limited budget will restrict the author from collecting the most relevant data
and the outcome may be compromised. The limited approach of the author can also act as a
limitation because then the expertise that the author requires for the successful delivery of the
project may be compromised. Furthermore, limited approach may also lead to inclusion of less
knowledgeable individual as part of the survey that will compromise the outcome. Limited
access to the library resources will also act as a limiter for the project.
Anticipated Timeline
The table attached below have presented the timeline that is estimated for the project in

discussion. The crucial activities along with the duration and the estimated time it will consume
has been detailed in the table. However, it should be noted that the timeline presented is
estimation and may alter from the proposed time line based on determined data and findings.
Most time of the study will be dedicated to the review of the literary works and the data analysis
so that the output from the study are accurate, reliable and feasible.
Time Period Estimated Time (hours) Task
[Please Fill] 50 Preliminary Review
[Please Fill] 30 Identifying patterns
[Please Fill] Milestone Topic Selection
[Please Fill] 30 Background Development
[Please Fill] 10 Identifying Scope
[Please Fill] 20 Developing Research
Objective
[Please Fill] 2 Developing Research
questions
[Please Fill] 20 Determining Requirements
[Please Fill] 10 Budgeting and Scheduling
[Please Fill] 20 Developing final structure

[Please Fill] Milestone Planning completed
[Please Fill] 100 Primary Review of Literature
[Please Fill] 30 Summarising the review
[Please Fill] 30 Identification of Patterns
[Please Fill] 50 Development of questionnaire
from identified patterns
[Please Fill] 80 Data collection
[Please Fill] 120 Testing of the data
[Please Fill] 50 Summarising Findings
[Please Fill] Milestone Data collection and analysis
completed
[Please Fill] 120 Developing Report
[Please Fill] 1 Submission
[Please Fill] 120 Oral Presentation
[Please Fill] Milestone Project Completion

Anticipated Ethical Issues
TITLE OF RESEARCH- Identification of new trending tools for big data analysis
RESEARCHER’S NAME- [Please Fill]
EMAIL ADDRESS- [Please Fill]
SUPERVISOR NAME- [Please Fill]
SUPERVISOR EMAIL- [Please Fill]
COURSE OF STUDY- [Please Fill]
PROJECT OBJECTIVE
The aim of the project is to identify the trends and tools that are revolutionising the Big Data
analysis and its potential impact on the Big Data analytics associates that includes the users and
the customers of the users. The project will also focus on the ethical aspect of current and
coming trends in big data.
SCOPE
The outcome of the project will help to develop the users of big data to get an insight into the
new trends and tools. Furthermore, identification of the ethical aspect of the big data will assist
in development of strategies to mitigate the threat that is being faced by the customers of big
data users.
PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

The data collected as part of the project will stay limited to the studier and will not be shared
with any other individual. Only one copy of the data will be stored in the system of the data
collector and no further copies will be developed. The data will not be converted in any non-
electronic state to protect the identity of the participants. Finally, only limited personal data will
be collected that is crucial for the project and no additional data will be collected.
USE OF DATA
The collected data will only be used for academic purpose and no commercial use of the data
will be done. Furthermore, manipulation of the data will also be avoided so that the outcome of
the project is reliable and ethical in nature.