A European research roadmap for optimizing societal impact of big data on environment and energy efficiency

TL;DR

This paper proposes a strategic roadmap for European research to enhance the societal benefits of big data in environment and energy, emphasizing responsible practices and addressing ethical, legal, and societal challenges.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive research roadmap based on a case study, guiding European efforts to maximize positive societal impacts of big data in environment and energy sectors.

Findings

Big data practices have both positive and negative effects on society, economy, and ethics.

The roadmap identifies key research priorities for the next five years.

Stakeholder collaboration is essential for responsible big data development.

Abstract

We present a roadmap to guide European research efforts towards a socially responsible big data economy that maximizes the positive impact of big data in environment and energy efficiency. The goal of the roadmap is to allow stakeholders and the big data community to identify and meet big data challenges, and to proceed with a shared understanding of the societal impact, positive and negative externalities, and concrete problems worth investigating. It builds upon a case study focused on the impact of big data practices in the context of Earth Observation that reveals both positive and negative effects in the areas of economy, society and ethics, legal frameworks and political issues. The roadmap identifies European technical and non-technical priorities in research and innovation to be addressed in the upcoming five years in order to deliver societal impact, develop skills and contribute to standardization.