Big Data Is Worth $1 Billion To Agricultural Giant Monsanto

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Monsanto Acquires Climate Corporation For $930 Million (Bloomberg Businessweek)
Monsanto, the giant agribusiness corporation, is going to lean on big data.

The company has agreed to acquire Climate Corporation for about $930 million, but some outlets are reporting the deal to be as high as $1.1 billion. In short, Climate Corporation analyzes weather patterns and predicts future climate for farmers, and they even provide insurance for farmers against adverse weather conditions.

Monsanto, meanwhile, is in the business of providing seeds and other farming products. With Climate Corp., it can begin to offer its clients an added agribusiness analytics product that will help optimize their farm's production.

The big takeaway is that the big data revolution goes far beyond consumer data that will be leveraged for advertising purposes. It is much bigger in size and scope. As more and more things connect to the Internet and transmit data, opportunities will abound for firms with expertise in mining, analyzing, and optimizing. Read >

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