The Role of Big Data in Addressing Societal Challenges: A Systematic Mapping Study

Abstract

Big data has recently become the focus of academic and corporate investigation due to its high potential in generating business and social value. We have done a systematic mapping of the literature related to big data and its applications leading to social change through the lens of social innovation. The search strategy initially resulted in 593 papers, and after applying inclusion exclusion criteria a total of 156 papers were mapped; 59% of which were identified as empirical studies. This mapping investigated the publication frequency of the studies, research approach and contributions, research areas and article distribution per journal. We also address some challenges found from the mapping associated with the research topic. This mapping study will offer the basis for a reflection process among the researchers in this field and will allow us to develop a research agenda and roadmap of big data and its applications leading to social change.