Diffusion of Big Data in Indian Scientific Literature: Study of Research Productivity and Scientific Collaboration

Purpose: Big data, a buzzword of the present time, is a term used for extremly large data sets generated from the digital process which is not possible to analyze by traditional methods. These data sets are produced by digital devices such as smart phones, remote sensing, camera, microphones, RFID etc. The literature on big data is growing exponentially since 2011. Big data is tending to establish as a very important research field. This paper aims to explore the evolution, growth and scientific collaboration of the Indian publications in the field of big data. Design/methodology/approach: A survey approach is used in the study while data for the study is collected from Scopus database for the year 2001 to 2015. Bibliometric analysis, visualization and mapping software are used to present the current status, growth trends and collaboration in big data research to examine its diffusion in Indian scientific literature. Findings: We found that the big data research in India is gaining momentum and its diffusion and adoption is increasing tremendously. Conference and seminars are used to do social connect and interaction within the research community. The collaboration at institution level is found usual while collaboration at international level is low. Application of big data in health sciences and life sciences is yet to be explored in comparison to the social sciences and physical sciences. Originality/ Value: This paper presents the growth, trends and collaboration in big data literature by the use of sophisticated bibliometric software and visualization software