Gallery: Computing's Big Data Summit

Computing's Big Data Summity in London yesterday saw experts and academics from around the world gather to discuss the practical applications of big data, and how to exploit it.

In this photo, Professor Mark Whitehorn, chair of analytics at the University of Dundee, said that even seemingly insignificant information can prove incredibly useful, with the correct use case.

"Google decided to keep all the information from users' spelling mistakes in their search engine, data that most people would throw away. They looked at what people typed, even if they spelt Ferrari with eight 'r's. Then they looked at where they actually wanted to go," said Whitehorn.

"Now you can make typos in Google and still get to where you want to go. They've effectively developed the world's most powerful spellchecker."