  For a developing nation, deploying big data (BD) technology and introducing
data science in higher education is a challenge. A pessimistic scenario is:
Mis-use of data in many possible ways, waste of trained manpower, poor BD
certifications from institutes, under-utilization of resources, disgruntled
management staff, unhealthy competition in the market, poor integration with
existing technical infrastructures. Also, the questions in the minds of
students, scientists, engineers, teachers and managers deserve wider attention.
Besides the stated perceptions and analyses perhaps ignoring socio-political
and scientific temperaments in developing nations, the following questions
arise: How did the BD phenomenon naturally occur, post technological
developments in Computer and Communications Technology and how did different
experts react to it? Are academicians elsewhere agreeing on the fact that BD is
a new science? Granted that big data science is a new science what are its
foundations as compared to conventional topics in Physics, Chemistry or
Biology? Or, is it similar to astronomy or nuclear science? What are the
technological and engineering implications and how these can be advantageously
used to augment business intelligence, for example? Will the industry adopt the
changes due to tactical advantages? How can BD success stories be carried over
elsewhere? How will BD affect the Computer Science and other curricula? How
will BD benefit different segments of our society on a large scale? To answer
these, an appreciation of the BD as a science and as a technology is necessary.
This paper presents a quick BD overview, relying on the contemporary
literature; it addresses: characterizations of BD and the BD people, the
background required for the students and teachers to join the BD bandwagon, the
management challenges in embracing BD.
