First scientific study: Humanity has produced more than 295 exabytes of data

From a study conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California between 1986 and 2007, it appears that the figure is equal to the amount of information stored on 404 billion CDs ● The digital age began in 2002, when the amount of information stored digitally first surpassed the analog one ● In 2007 the amount of information stood 94% of all information is stored digitally ● At the same time, the amount of information stored on paper decreased significantly: from 0.33% in 1986 to 0.007% in 2007

By Yossi the Tony, February 13, 2011, 09:21

The amount of digital information stored in the world is more than 295 exabytes (29,500,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes) - according to a new study conducted by the University of Southern California. According to the researchers, this is the first scientific study that actually measured the amount of digitally stored information in the world and that attempts to quantify its volume.

University researchers, led by Dr Martin Hilbert From the School of Journalism and Communication, they studied the issue for many months, and published their findings at the end of the week, according to which the amount of digitally stored information is the number 295 followed by 20 zeros of a byte. The figure is equal to the amount of information stored on 404 billion CDs.

They studied more than a thousand sources of information and based on them calculated the amount of information that was stored between the years 1986 and 2007. The researchers did not address the question of how much of the stored information still exists today.

The team of researchers also looked at how storage methods have changed in the last two decades. According to him, during the said period, 60 different technologies - analog and digital - were developed for storage, in a variety of ways: data on storage hardware, meaning - disks and tapes in their forms, medical X-rays, information from credit cards and more. Thus, in 1986, 14% of the information was stored on vinyl records and 12% - on audio tapes (cassettes).

"The high and advanced capabilities of computerized storage lead to an exponential increase in the amount of information stored," said Dr. Hilbert. He explained that the research brought up three types of information use: the transmission of information in the medium of space - a field he called communication; His transportation in the space of time - a field he called storage; and making changes and manipulations in information - a field he called computerization. According to him, the study revealed that "the average annual growth of computing needs and capacities stands at 58%, capacities in the world of communications increase every year by 28% and storage capacities - by 23%."

The researchers also discovered that during the last 21 years humanity has sent 1.9 zettabytes (one digit followed by 21 zeros) of information. The meaning of this figure is that every person on the planet received 174 newspapers every day, or a total of three hours of television broadcasts every day, during that period.

More than 65 exabytes of information are shared by two technologies, such as: cell phone and e-mails. Thus, since 1986, information traffic has grown by 28% every year, as of 2007. The figure is equivalent to every person on the planet sending, so to speak, an amount of data equal to six newspapers every day, or that in one day he created an amount of data that was required for him to create in two and three weeks in a non-stop chat conversation.

According to the researchers, the digital era began in 2002 - the first year when more information was stored digitally than analog. Dr. Hilbert classified under analog information the information stored on video tapes or books. He noted that the "transformation" was almost completely completed in 2007, when the amount of digitally stored information was 94% of all the information existing in humanity.

Digitally stored information has been a significant figure since 2000, when it accounted for 25% of all information stored in the world. At the same time, the amount of information stored on paper decreased significantly: from 0.33% in 1986 to 0.007% in 2007. Despite this, the researchers point out that paper is not dead, as predicted, since the amount of information stored on it has grown in absolute terms more than twice over the years.

The data of the academic researchers correspond to similar studies that have been conducted for several years by IDC, financed EMC, under the title "The Digital Universe". These studies indicate that the amount of information in the world, which in 2009 was 0.8 zettabytes (one digit followed by 21 zeros), is expected to reach 35.2 zettabytes by the end of the decade. In the last two and a half years, while all markets and industries fell, only one field grew in IT - storage. It increased by 62%.