Big Data In Health & Fitness Industry

 Big data is defined as data that is so massive and complicated that processing it using typical methods is difficult. The practice of acquiring and storing vast amounts of data for analytics has a long history. This massive amount of data necessitates cost-effective and creative data processing methods that provide better insight, decision-making, and process automation.

 To process this information is where Machine learning comes in. Machine learning uses systems that are automated to label the data and find patterns in them. The data is then converted to insights that are usable and easy to understand.

 To forecast and mold customer behavior, large databases are used. The field of fitness will undergo significant changes in the future as artificial intelligence gets more incorporated into our lives.

 "Big Data is a data whose scale, distribution, diversity, and/or timeliness require the use of new technical architectures and analytics to enable insights that unlock new sources of business value (McKinsey; others 2011)"

The now-mainstream definition of big data as the 5 V’s:

1) Volume

 It is important to consider the amount of data available. You'll have to process a lot of low-density, unstructured data with big data. Unknown value data, such as Twitter data feeds, clickstreams on a web page or a mobile app, or sensor-enabled equipment, are examples.

Example: Patient records, lab test results, transactions, and appointment details.

2) Velocity

 Velocity is a metric that indicates how quickly data is coming. the rate at which businesses collect, retain, and handle data - for example, the number of social media postings or search queries received in a given day, hour, or another time period.

Example: medical devices designed

3) Variety

 It means the wide range of data received by organizations.

Example: Data of health records and medical devices

4) Veracity

 It is the accuracy of data and information assets. This determines executive-level confidence.

Example: A report of ‘CP’ will mean chest pain for a cardiologist but for a primary care physician but may mean cerebral palsy.

5) Value

 Data must be valuable, resulting in more efficient operations, greater customer relationships, and other tangible and provable business advantages.

 In the healthcare industry, there are patient records, treatment plans, prescription information, etc. When it comes to health care, everything must be completed quickly, properly, and, in some situations, transparent enough to meet industry regulations. Health care professionals can unearth hidden insights that improve patient care when big data is managed efficiently.

Applications of Big Data in Healthcare and Fitness Industry

 Fitness, diet, and healthy lifestyle options are becoming increasingly popular among people. As a result, the fitness industry is expected to be one of the world's fastest-growing sectors. Fitness companies are flooded with lots of data regarding the health and fitness lifestyles of millions of people thanks to fitness-related IoT devices like fitness bands, heart-rate trackers, and mobile devices.

Personalizing workouts:

 Every activity done by an individual can be tracked by IoT devices. It continuously tracks data that is related to an individual’s eating habits, sleep cycle, exercise/workout or any physical activity, heart rate, and oxygen levels too.

 IoT devices continuously track real-time data of the individual when he is working out, the duration of his workout, the time of his workout, and how many calories got burnt to do a particular type of exercise. The type of physical activity can also be tracked in such devices.

Improving food lifestyle:

 Individuals' food intake can be tracked using computer vision technologies. It might assist in comprehending how much food a person consumes on a daily basis. The app can scan the amount of food consumed as well as the type of food. The calories consumed can then be calculated using AI software.

Blockchain-based data marketplaces:

 Lympo is a blockchain-based fitness ecosystem that pays consumers to share their health and fitness data with participating businesses in exchange for cryptocurrency. They can use their profits to purchase goods and services from the platform's built-in marketplace of health and wellness providers in the real world. Users are encouraged to provide data because they can profit from it in a novel and breakthrough way.

Smart Training Apparels: 

 Athos Coaching System is a brand that sells fitness apparel with built-in sensors. These assist people in making the most of their fitness regimens by utilizing data. In a method called as electromyography, they may detect the small electrical impulses that reduce muscle activity. The extensive data stream can then be used to make real-time adjustments to workout routines. It's a method that some of the world's most well-known professional sports teams are already employing to assure top athlete performance.

AI-powered personal trainers:

 These AI-powered personal trainers are built to give personalized personal training using an individual’s biometric data. It acts similar to a human personal trainer that gives directions during workouts, encourages in real-time while working out to meet one’s exercise/fitness goals.

 The system, and others like it, use biometric data to power a personalized virtual personal training experience. It also offers specific workout directions and even encouragement in real-time to help users meet their fitness goals. It is a closed-loop data system that collects and analyzes fitness data on a single platform.

IoMT Devices:

 There are bedside monitors and under-the-mattress sensors that can stream data measurements throughout the day. They can provide real-time conditions and the status of a patient. These devices can also provide patient’s real-time pictures and warnings if there is even a slight change.

Big Data during COVID-19 Pandemic:

 South Korea was able to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus when it was first detected by taking immediate data-based actions which included street cameras, smart contact tracing using GPS data, and credit card transactions.

In conclusion, big data is used currently for testing and monitoring patient data, analyzing personal data based on wearable IoT devices, and letting doctors know real-time information about their patients. With so much opportunity of big data in the Healthcare and Fitness industry, these industries are revolutionizing at a greater speed showing a scope of real transformation. Wearable technologies and tracking apps have already had a significant influence by pushing people to take responsibility for their activities, examine their health habits more closely, and adopt a healthier lifestyle.

The transformation is boundless using Big Data and we are still exploring and discovering new aspects. Over the years big data is going to be the driving force that will entirely change the health and fitness industry making it more personalized and AI-based.

Author: Akshita Ashokan

#bigdata #healthandfitness #bigdatahealthandfitness #5VsBigData #healthcarebigdata #bigdatainhealthcare #bigdatahealth

References:

Joshi, N., 2020. How big data is transforming the fitness industry. [online] Allerin. Available at: <https://www.allerin.com/blog/how-big-data-is-transforming-the-fitness-industry> [Accessed 23 February 2022].

Jain, A., 2016. The 5 V’s of big data. [online] IBM. Available at: <https://www.ibm.com/blogs/watson-health/the-5-vs-of-big-data/> [Accessed 20 February 2022].

Weller, J., 2019. How Fitness Analytics Can Help Your Fitness Business. [online] Glofox. Available at: <https://www.glofox.com/blog/fitness-analytics/> [Accessed 21 February 2022].

Kovačević, A., 2019. 4 data trends that are transforming the global fitness industry. [online] Bigdata-madesimple. Available at: <https://bigdata-madesimple.com/4-data-trends-transforming-global-fitness-industry/> [Accessed 21 February 2022].

Altexsoft. 2021. Big Data in Healthcare: Sources and Real-World Applications. [online] Available at: <https://www.altexsoft.com/blog/big-data-healthcare/> [Accessed 22 February 2022].

2019. Big data cloud based solution. [image] Available at: <https://bleuwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/big-data-cloud-based-solution.png.webp> [Accessed 23 February 2022].

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