Science in the time of Big Data: what happens when Google meets the Jornada LTER?

Big Data - large quantities of data of more types moving at faster rates – may be the greatest technological advance of the early 21^st century. But are scientists ready to take full advantage of this data deluge? Is science merely the new engineering where: data speak for themselves, data-driven research displaces theory, and advanced search queries provide explanation but not improved understanding? Can society afford to have scientists and land managers continue to ask the same questions based on technology developed pre-data deluge, but with more sophisticated methods and a torrent of data? Here we provide evidence that scientists must radically change their way of thinking as well as their way of doing in order to advance the knowledge and understanding needed for a sustainable Earth System. A data-driven approach coupled with a strong theoretical under-pinning will be needed requires a revolutionary new way of thinking. We first briefly describe the opportunities and challenges of using big data in science, and then illustrate the potential dangers of using 20^th century thinking with 21^st century technology. Finally, we provide a forward-thinking approach that takes advantage of big data, hardware advances, and theoretical developments to solve critical science questions in this technology-based future. 

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