By Agha Zain, Vice President of Product and Software Development

What is big data and why is it important? Simply put, big data is a term used to describe large volumes of data that can be analyzed to provide valuable insights, leading to more informed decision making. Today’s data comes from a myriad of sources. And while we are inundated with data both personally and professionally, it’s value is derived on what you do with it, not the amount that is collected. It’s not necessarily what you know, but what you do with what you know.

Firmatek is your big data partner. We handle terabytes of data regularly and the volume we interact with continues to grow. Anyone can simply collect data and consider it a piece of information, but data is more than just a number. Transforming data into actionable insights is a priority for anyone who has invested in data collection. Not only does Firmatek process data differently and more uniquely than others in our industry, we securely collect, handle, and analyze meaningful business logic so our clients can apply business intelligence to their operations. Then, we store that data carefully.

Data Management

Each one of your employees, and ours, collect tons and tons of data. From drone photos to Lidar images to all of your current material and pile information, quality data management starts with good data. The collection process and tools are the first critical step.  Once properly collected, we create a variety of deliverables based on associated raw and final output data and generate the reports you need to make more informed decisions. All of this happens in our data-central hub, Firmatek Cloud. Firmatek Cloud is your unified, collaborative environment that allows each member of your company to have a simple, effective workflow based on all the information and business intelligence we extract from big data.

We designed Firmatek Cloud from the ground up to store and manage copious amounts of data. Today, less than 8 months after launching the first version of Firmatek Cloud, we are already collecting, analyzing, processing, and storing terabytes of data regularly via Firmatek Cloud. On top of that, we are close to launching new features that will give you even more transparency and insight into your operations.

Data Efficiency

Solutions to store small amounts of data in this day and age are not hard to find. It is however, difficult to store big data efficiently. It is even more difficult, and actual science, to store big data in a way where it can be utilized to produce meaningful results. Although it is a challenge to find a data management solution that allows you to utilize and visually manage your data easily all via the browser, Firmatek Cloud delivers.

On top of that, allowing you to see who interacted with this data, why, and how, gives you the full history you need to easily trace back steps and identify the root of any changes. Our team of drone and processing specialists work continuously to ensure that all data being delivered and provided to you is accurate, with any extra customizations or added info that you may have reported. We combine both human intelligence and machine intelligence.

As part of our commitment to serving as trusted advisors, we perform several checks along the way from the moment we collect the data, all the way to when we store the data (and after). Here are some of the checks that are required for any responsible big data company:

  • Make sure the data being collected is both of good, acceptable quality and not corrupted in any shape or form. There are very few things worse than having corrupted or wrong data ending up in the wrong place.
  • Ensure everything from your browser all the way to Firmatek Cloud backend is fully secure.
  • Confirm the data, after it gets from your device to our backend, is properly checked and meets all requirements. We have checks and balances in place to ensure that whenever there is corrupt or missing data, the appropriate Firmatek teams are notified.
  • Secure your data. We have checks and balances within Firmatek to ensure that all Firmatek Cloud data is handled responsibly and only with proper authorization, without affecting the agile transfer and flow of data to and from Firmatek Cloud.

Above: Firmatek Cloud Stockpile Volume Report

One Step Further. How Firmatek Goes the Extra Mile

  • We have a dedicated Product Software team that gets instant alerts notifying them of any critical issues, should they arise. 24×7, we are working on ensuring you’re in good hands and that we help your company and team grow as Firmatek Cloud keeps growing in usage and features.
  • We have actual Big Data Product Managers, architects, and other team members who are constantly working to ensure that Firmatek keeps providing value from any and all the static and dynamic data that your teams are collecting. We have huge updates slated for later this year.
  • We do not just collect data and pass it on. We analyze every single image, file, and other piece of information uploaded. Ever wonder how our Stockpile Volume Reports are so enriched with useful data that previously was only available scattered among troves of unrelated data? That’s Firmatek Cloud Big Data solutions for you.
  • Unlike most other companies, we do not try to lock you down into our ecosystem. Do you want a printout of a certain Stockpile Volume Report? We give you the full PDF with either the summary or full details – you choose. Do you want the full raw CSV export of all piles in a specific Stockpile Volume Report? We give it to you whenever you need it, without you having to send in a support ticket requesting permission to export your own data. Want the full Orthophoto of a specific deliverable, or the full final raw file for any deliverable that we have data on and that we worked on and/or created? It will be ready for you in Firmatek Cloud.

If you want to learn more about Firmatek and what Firmatek Cloud can do for you, let us know! There is a reason we have been around for decades serving the top companies across multiple industries. Trust Firmatek to be your big data partner.

About Agha Zain

Agha joined Firmatek in 2019 and has recently been promoted to Vice President of Product Software and Development.  He managed Product, Software, UI/UX, Marketing, and Customer Support teams at different companies prior to joining Firmatek. He previously worked on some of the most popular data analytics platforms in the world, like creating App Annie’s Usage Analytics product from scratch, Enterprise Software and Mobile backends, and apps like SurfEasy, Opera VPN, and Norton Secure VPN.

He leads all Product and Software development at Firmatek and works full-time on product features, roadmap development, UI/UX mockups, and wireframes. Alongside President and COO Rob Wyssbrod, Agha led the development of Firmatek Cloud. Connect with Agha.