A five-layer architecture for big data processing and analytics

Big data technologies have attracted much attention in recent years. The academia and industry have reached a consensus, that is, the ultimate goal of big data is about transforming 'big data' to 'real value'. In this article, we discuss how to achieve this goal and propose five-layer architecture for big data processing and analytics (BDPA), including a collection layer, a storage layer, a processing layer, an analytics layer, and an application layer. The five-layer architecture targets to set up a de facto standard for current BDPA solutions, to collect, manage, process, and analyse the vast volume of both static data and online data streams, and make valuable decisions for all types of industries. Functionalities and challenges of the five-layers are illustrated, with the most recent technologies and solutions discussed accordingly. We conclude with the requirements for the future BDPA solutions, which may serve as a foundation for the future big data ecosystem.