Using Big Data Analytics to Better Understand Korean Unification
Beyond Parallel, powered by the analytics of Predata, is seeking to bring open source intelligence tools to issues related to Korean unification. The signals are drawn from publicly available sources on expertly curated topics to capture the volume and vigor of the online conversation around these issues. The signals are then paired with Beyond Parallel databases of historical events to analyze current trends and make predictions about future events.
Big Data in International Relations
Big data refers to any collection of large amounts of information that can come from nearly any source. In addition to traditional sources of data, the internet offers a plethora of potential sources for big data sets including web page edits, social media posts, and online news stories. These data sets are large and complex, requiring specialized data processing software to arrange the data and extract useful information. With the right tools, we can use big data analytics to search for patterns and correlations to learn more about the world or make predictions about the future. These analytics can be applied to a broad array of topics ranging from sports, politics, popular culture, to intelligence in international relations.
In the field of international relations, signals intelligence derived from electronic sources, including the internet, have been a tool used by the intelligence community to bring more intelligence information to policymakers as they make decisions about global affairs. But not all that information and intelligence has to be from top-secret sources to be incredibly valuable. Open source intelligence signals are in fact a rich source of information that can provide important insights and context to current events and ongoing trends.
Combining this new big data tool with established tools such as expert analysis, satellite imagery, and historical lessons should bring new information to policymakers, academics, and the expert community as we seek to build a greater understanding of topics and events surrounding Korean unification.
Additional Reading
- Signals on U.S.-South Korea Cost Sharing Negotiations Outpace Those of Inter-Korean Talks March 2, 2018
- Medals over Missiles: Decreased Risk of North Korean WMD Activity January 10, 2018
- North Korea WMD Activity in December: Naughty or Nice? November 22, 2017
- Dogs that Don’t Bark: Downward Signals Trend in November November 3, 2017
- North Korean Missile Tests Possible Before September Ends September 7, 2017
- Peaking Possibilities of May North Korea WMD Activity May 12, 2017
- Polls Quiet, Predata Signals Take the Pulse of the South Korean Electorate May 5, 2017
- Uptick in Likelihood of North Korean WMD Activity April 13, 2017
- April Showers: Data Indicates More North Korean Missiles to Come April 5, 2017
- March Missiles: Predicting North Korea’s Next Provocation March 9, 2017