Every two days, we create the equivalent of all the data generated throughout human history up until 2003. The intelligent use of this data shows enormous potential for generating new knowledge and other related benefits for  business, science and society. In collaboration with leading European organizations in Big Data, researchers of the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) in Amsterdam take part in the RETHINK big Project. The project is established to maximize European competitiveness in the Big Data revolution.

The RETHINK big Project brings together the key European hardware, networking, and system architects with the key producers and consumers of Big Data. Their aim is to identify the industry coordination points that will maximize European competitiveness in the processing and analysis of Big Data over the next 10 years. Specifically, RETHINK big will deliver a strategic roadmap for how technology advancements in hardware and networking can be exploited for the purpose of data analytics and beyond while also taking into consideration advancements in applications, algorithms and systems.

CWI researchers Gunnar Klau and Stefan Manegold  take part in the RETHINK big community of technology and business experts. Gunnar Klau, head of of the Life Sciences group of CWI will lead the Life Sciences application working group. Stefan Manegold, head of CWI's Database Architectures group, will lead the enabling technologies working group on Frameworks, Software Models, Algorithms and Data Structures, Visualization.

The experts will identify and evaluate the existing competencies across European Big Data hardware and networking technology sectors and application domains and prioritize the complementary interests and the shared opportunities that allow European SMEs and large companies alike to unlock the highest return on their respective investments.

Partners in the RETHINK big Project
The RETHINK big Project is a two-year project funded by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme and coordinated by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (Spain). Other partners include Technische Universität Berlin (Germany), Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (Netherlands), École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland), The University of Manchester (UK), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain), ARM Limited (UK), ParStream GmbH (Germany), Internet Memory Research SAS (France), No Rack SAS (France), Thales (France) and Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs (France).