 Holidaymakers have had a nightmare week, and for those still trying to get home after thousands of flights were cancelled, it won't help much knowing the carnage they're caught up in was caused by some rogue data. National Air Traffic Services reported the chaos erupted because a flight plan its systems could not read caused an emergency shutdown in the system, grounding planes and leaving passengers stranded abroad. And let's face it, 'data' as the cause of any major disruption doesn't scream sexy headline or future feature film. Nevertheless, our lives are ruled by data, and when it goes wrong, it can go very wrong. 'In the last two years, we've produced around 90% of the total amount of digital data since the advent of computer storage,' says Amin Fard, MD of data management specialist Lyon. 'Our reliance on data from here on will become ever more critical. 'Anything that alters the truthfulness of data can bring organisation to a halt. This can take shape in many formats – cybersecurity breaches that encrypt data, viruses or malware embodied within organisational data, human error leading to the deletion of data, human error leading to distribution of incorrect data, and more. Holidaymakers faced days of delays this week after flight systems failed (Picture: SWNS) 'A prime example is when back in March 2019 a BA flight landed in Edinburgh instead of Düsseldorf by mistake due the wrong flight plan being submitted. This is what some called an honest mistake that could have been prevented with varying levels of data validation.' Human error and data can form a potent mix. Earlier this month the details of hundreds of PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) officers and staff were accidentally leaked during a routine FOI request. The consequences of this mistake are still unknown, as is the cost of this week's flight meltdown. 'The losses incurred as a result of the flight data){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Holidaymakers have had a nightmare week, and for those still trying to get home after thousands of flights were cancelled, it won’t help much knowing the carnage they’re caught up in was caused by some rogue data.
National Air Traffic Services reported the chaos erupted because a flight plan its systems could not read caused an emergency shutdown in the system, grounding planes and leaving passengers stranded abroad.
And let’s face it, ‘data’ as the cause of any major disruption doesn’t scream sexy headline or future feature film.
Nevertheless, our lives are ruled by data, and when it goes wrong, it can go very wrong.