Intro to Big Data Computing
In Spring 2026, I am taking Intro to Big Data Computing. This class goes beyond just working with standard data; it focuses on how to handle massive amounts of information. We will look at how Big Data systems are built and the engineering that makes them work.
Instead of just learning how to search through a database, we will learn what makes Big Data special and the specific tools used to manage it. We will study the “MapReduce” framework and the “Hadoop” ecosystem. We will also explore how these systems help power the latest AI technology, such as Large Language Models (LLMs). The course uses two main books: Big Data Fundamentals to explain the core concepts, and Hadoop2 Quick-Start Guide to teach us how to use the software.
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Key Topics Covered:
- Big Data Principles and Fundamentals
- Core Concepts and Characteristics of Big Data
- Business Motivations and Drivers for Adoption
- Big Data Analysis Techniques (Dimensionality Reduction)
- Supervised Learning Techniques
- Unsupervised Learning Techniques
- Big Data Architectural Concepts: Storing and Analyzing Big Data
- Cloud Storage and Analysis
- MapReduce Framework
- Hadoop Ecosystem and Fundamentals
- Distributed File Systems
