Do you know that the data collected by humans over the past two years is so ‘big’ that it dwarfs all the books ever written? This ‘big data’ phenomenon revolutionizes our thinking not because of its immense volume, but rather by what we can learn from it through the use of increasingly powerful analytic tools. What does big data mean for future scientific discoveries? How will business, educational institutions, governments and society evolve in this new era? The speaker explains the nature of big data and the resulting data science, and highlights key concepts based on the achievements of HKUST’s Data Science projects. Big data applications in online shopping, charity, health analysis and risk management will be shared with the audience.