We live in a digital environment where everything we do leaves a digital trace. Data are collected from various sources – social network posts, e-mails, sensors, image and video content, search engines, online sales, etc. The biggest reason for this growth of data could be found in technological advancement, since data can be easily and cheaply stored and shared today. This new trend in acquiring data demands a completely new approach to their processing and analysis. The aim of this paper, based on analysis of actual and relevant sources, is to present the situation and trends in the collection, processing, analysis and use of data that are complex, fast-growing, and diverse in type and content. In the introduction, the research problem ha...