Spatial big-data challenges intersecting mobility and cloud computing

TL;DR: This paper addresses the emerging challenges posed by location-aware datasets, which are of a size, variety, and update rate that exceeds the capability of spatial computing technologies and calls for a flexible architecture to rapidly integrate new datasets and associated algorithms.

Abstract: Increasingly, location-aware datasets are of a size, variety, and update rate that exceeds the capability of spatial computing technologies. This paper addresses the emerging challenges posed by such datasets, which we call Spatial Big Data (SBD). SBD examples include trajectories of cellphones and GPS devices, vehicle engine measurements, temporally detailed road maps, etc. SBD has the potential to transform society via next-generation routing services such as eco-routing. However, the envisaged SBD-based next-generation routing services pose several significant challenges for current routing techniques. SBD magnifies the impact of partial information and ambiguity of traditional routing queries specified by a start location and an end location. In addition, SBD challenges the assumption that a single algorithm utilizing a specific dataset is appropriate for all situations. The tremendous diversity of SBD sources substantially increases the diversity of solution methods. Newer algorithms may emerge as new SBD becomes available, creating the need for a flexible architecture to rapidly integrate new datasets and associated algorithms.