Data science and management for large scale empirical applications in agricultural and applied economics research

Abstract

The increased availability of high resolution data and computing power has spurred enormous interest in "Big Data". While analysts typically source data from a wide variety of agencies, even within the USDA no comprehensive data warehouse exists with which researchers can interact. This leads to massive duplication in efforts, inefficient data sourcing, great potential for error. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief overview of this state of affairs within the community. An overview of a prototype warehouse is also provided, as are thoughts on future directions.