Recent advances in big data analysis and application

With the rapid development of information and network technology in recent years, massive data from many different kinds of applications, such as social network, e-business, intelligent transportation and medical diagnosis [1], can be generated, collected, and aggregated under various circumstances and scenarios like WAN, LAN, mobile Internet, Internet of things, and so on [2]. The potential value of big data can only be exploited and unleashed by means of efficient big data analysis and application. Meanwhile, big data-related security has also drawn much attention from both the academy and industry with its increasing importance. For these reasons, new methodologies and technologies need to be proposed and developed for advancing both big data analytics and applications. This special issue focuses on a new strategic research area that addresses “Recent Advances in Big Data Analysis and Application.” From those submitted papers for the 3rd International Conference on Advanced Cloud and Big Data (CBD 2015) held in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China, on October 30 to November 1, 2015, 9 papers are selected that target the following research issues in big data: