What big data means

Huge amounts of digital data have been accumulated in the medical field by the recent acceleration of medical informatization. Several nationwide projects with medical big data are already running in Japan, and are expected to improve social issues. Medical big data are often complicated and diversified as there are so many sources of individual data items which can be connected to privacy data. Thus, it is necessary to introduce mining technology such as machine learning and also to develop innovative methods of analysis by collaboration between information science and medical professionals. After the “My Number” law will be enforced in 2016, with the adoption of a unique medical ID in Japan, and privacy laws will be revised in the medical field, the era of medical big data will truly begin in Japan.