We live in a world of Big Data. Our lives are now being mapped in countless ways; sensors on our phones, our cars, and our Web browsers record the people with whom we interact, the places we go, and even what we’re thinking about.

With Big Data comes the promise of equally big knowledge—or so we’re told by scientists and companies. Excited at the prospects, Massachusetts has even launched a “Big Data Initiative” to ensure that the state wasn’t left out of the coming boom. The dream is that these streams of data are bound to unlock all kinds of insights about the world.