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Anomaly detection for large data sets in real-time

Information Technology

Updated on Aug 24, 2018

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Anomaly detection acts as an identifier of abrupt patterns in data processing. It identifies the problem in less time and is convenient to use in the best possible manner.

The data mining main objective is to extract information from a data set and transform it into a comprehensive structure for future use. It is applied to both artificial and business intelligence. The actual data mining task includes not only extracting information but it also automatically analyses unusual records too which are labeled as big data anomaly detection. Business analytics understand the term differently but to put it simply, anomalies are deviations and exceptions in data processing.

Dimensions of anomaly detection
These anomalies are found in many aspects ranging from bank fraud, medical problems, and errors in the text. They don’t adhere to any pattern but are just unstructured. Once the anomalous data is removed it significantly helps you improve accuracy. There have been several anomaly detection techniques like simple statistical method, cluster anomaly detection, support vector machine anomaly detection, hidden Markov models, ensemble techniques, neural networks, etc. but their performance depends on the data set. Each method gives you different advantages and disadvantages.

Anomaly detection V/s Threshold Monitoring
Anomaly detection is too different from threshold monitoring where the latter makes sure that the data values perform within their required structures. While anomaly detection takes in multiple variables from across sources and trains machine learning algorithms to identify regular patterns within the data-sets based on a statistical understanding of their performance. Anomaly catches that data that even threshold cannot recognize. Thus it saves time and detects problems in real time big data.

Even Google analytics have released a new kind of alert as anomaly detection. There is always a major challenge in anomaly detection which is to detect what genuinely anomalous observations are appropriate. You cannot surely identify the unexpected pattern. This can only be ensured through a confusion matrix which evaluates the efficiency of the anomaly detection tool.

Anomalies are broadly categorized as:

1. Point Anomalies: They are mainly used in credit card fraud cases which detects the fraud based on the amount spent.

2. Contextual Anomalies: It is usually used in time series data and is context specific.

3. Collective Anomalies: It includes data sets, which collectively works in finding anomalies. It is mostly used in the cases of cyber-attacks.

Therefore, big data anomaly detection can efficiently help in catching fraud and discovering strange patterns in real-time big data. This would prove useful in areas like banking thefts, medicines, and marketing which are very well prone to disastrous activities. With the machine, a learning institution can increase search and effectiveness of their business activities that are moving to a digital platform. Anomaly detection has thus proven to be a boon.
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