This is an intuitive look at large data sizes By Julian Bunn in Globally Interconnected Object Databases.
Bytes(8 Bits)
-
0.1
bytes: A binary decision
-
1
byte: A single character
-
10
bytes: A single word
-
100
bytes: A telegram OR A punched card
0.1
bytes: A binary decision
1
byte: A single character
10
bytes: A single word
100
bytes: A telegram OR A punched card
Kilobyte (1000 Bytes)
-
1
Kilobyte: A very short story
-
2
Kilobytes: A Typewritten page
-
10
Kilobytes: An encyclopaedic page OR A deck of punched cards
-
50
Kilobytes: A compressed document image page
-
100
Kilobytes: A low-resolution photograph
-
200
Kilobytes: A box of punched cards
-
500
Kilobytes: A very heavy box of punched cards
1
Kilobyte: A very short story
2
Kilobytes: A Typewritten page
10
Kilobytes: An encyclopaedic page OR A deck of punched cards
50
Kilobytes: A compressed document image page
100
Kilobytes: A low-resolution photograph
200
Kilobytes: A box of punched cards
500
Kilobytes: A very heavy box of punched cards
Megabyte (1 000 000 Bytes)
-
1
Megabyte: A small novel OR A 3.5 inch floppy disk
-
2
Megabytes: A high resolution photograph
-
5
Megabytes: The complete works of Shakespeare OR 30 seconds of
TV-quality video
-
10
Megabytes: A minute of high-fidelity sound OR A digital chest X-ray
-
20
Megabytes: A box of floppy disks
-
50
Megabytes: A digital mammogram
-
100
Megabytes: 1 meter of shelved books OR A two-volume encyclopaedic
book
-
200
Megabytes: A reel of 9-track tape OR An IBM 3480 cartridge tape
-
500
Megabytes: A CD-ROM OR The hard disk of a PC
1
Megabyte: A small novel OR A 3.5 inch floppy disk
2
Megabytes: A high resolution photograph
5
Megabytes: The complete works of Shakespeare OR 30 seconds of
TV-quality video
10
Megabytes: A minute of high-fidelity sound OR A digital chest X-ray
20
Megabytes: A box of floppy disks
50
Megabytes: A digital mammogram
100
Megabytes: 1 meter of shelved books OR A two-volume encyclopaedic
book
200
Megabytes: A reel of 9-track tape OR An IBM 3480 cartridge tape
500
Megabytes: A CD-ROM OR The hard disk of a PC
Gigabyte (1 000 000 000 Bytes)
-
1
Gigabyte: A pickup truck filled with paper OR A symphony in
high-fidelity sound OR A movie at TV quality
-
2
Gigabytes: 20 meters of shelved books OR A
stack of 9-track tapes
-
5
Gigabytes: An 8mm Exabyte tape
-
20
Gigabytes: A good collection of the works of Beethoven OR 5 Exabyte
tapes OR A VHS tape used for digital data
-
50
Gigabytes: A floor of books OR Hundreds of 9-track tapes
-
100
Gigabytes: A floor of academic journals OR A large ID-1 digital tape
-
200
Gigabytes: 50 Exabyte tapes
1
Gigabyte: A pickup truck filled with paper OR A symphony in
high-fidelity sound OR A movie at TV quality
2
Gigabytes: 20 meters of shelved books OR A
stack of 9-track tapes
5
Gigabytes: An 8mm Exabyte tape
20
Gigabytes: A good collection of the works of Beethoven OR 5 Exabyte
tapes OR A VHS tape used for digital data
50
Gigabytes: A floor of books OR Hundreds of 9-track tapes
100
Gigabytes: A floor of academic journals OR A large ID-1 digital tape
200
Gigabytes: 50 Exabyte tapes
Terabyte (1 000 000 000 000 Bytes)
-
1
Terabyte: An automated tape robot OR All the X-ray films in a large
technological hospital OR 50000 trees made into paper and printed OR
Daily rate of EOS data (1998)
-
2
Terabytes: An academic research library OR A cabinet full of Exabyte
tapes
-
10
Terabytes: The printed collection of the US Library of Congress
-
50
Terabytes: The contents of a large Mass Storage System
1
Terabyte: An automated tape robot OR All the X-ray films in a large
technological hospital OR 50000 trees made into paper and printed OR
Daily rate of EOS data (1998)
2
Terabytes: An academic research library OR A cabinet full of Exabyte
tapes
10
Terabytes: The printed collection of the US Library of Congress
50
Terabytes: The contents of a large Mass Storage System
Petabyte (1 000 000 000 000 000 Bytes)
-
1
Petabyte: 5 years of EOS data (at 46 mbps)
-
2
Petabytes: All US academic research libraries
-
20
Petabytes: Production of hard-disk drives in 1995
-
200
Petabytes: All printed material OR Production of digital magnetic
tape in 1995
1
Petabyte: 5 years of EOS data (at 46 mbps)
2
Petabytes: All US academic research libraries
20
Petabytes: Production of hard-disk drives in 1995
200
Petabytes: All printed material OR Production of digital magnetic
tape in 1995
Exabyte (1 000 000 000 000 000 000 Bytes)
-
5
Exabytes: All words ever spoken by human beings.
-
-
The
world's technological capacity to store information grew from 2.6
(optimally compressed) exabytes in 1986 to 15.8 in 1993, over 54.5
in 2000, and to 295 (optimally compressed) exabytes in 2007. This
is equivalent to less than one 730-MB CD-ROM per person in 1986
(539 MB per person), roughly 4 CD-ROM per person of 1993, 12 CD-ROM
per person in the year 2000, and almost 61 CD-ROM per person in
2007. Piling up the imagined 404 billion CD-ROM from 2007 would
create a stack from the earth to the moon and a quarter of this
distance beyond (with 1.2 mm thickness per CD).
5
Exabytes: All words ever spoken by human beings.
- The world's technological capacity to store information grew from 2.6 (optimally compressed) exabytes in 1986 to 15.8 in 1993, over 54.5 in 2000, and to 295 (optimally compressed) exabytes in 2007. This is equivalent to less than one 730-MB CD-ROM per person in 1986 (539 MB per person), roughly 4 CD-ROM per person of 1993, 12 CD-ROM per person in the year 2000, and almost 61 CD-ROM per person in 2007. Piling up the imagined 404 billion CD-ROM from 2007 would create a stack from the earth to the moon and a quarter of this distance beyond (with 1.2 mm thickness per CD).
The world’s technological capacity to receive information through one-way broadcast networks was 432 exabytes of (optimally compressed) information in 1986, 715 (optimally compressed) exabytes in 1993, 1,200 (optimally compressed) exabytes in 2000, and 1,900 in 2007.
-
-
According
to the CSIRO, in the next decade, astronomers expect to be
processing 10 petabytes of data every hour from the Square
Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope.[11] The array is thus expected to
generate approximately one exabyte every four days of operation.
According to IBM, the new SKA telescope initiative will generate
over an exabyte of data every day. IBM is designing hardware to
process this information.
- According to the CSIRO, in the next decade, astronomers expect to be processing 10 petabytes of data every hour from the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope.[11] The array is thus expected to generate approximately one exabyte every four days of operation. According to IBM, the new SKA telescope initiative will generate over an exabyte of data every day. IBM is designing hardware to process this information.
Zettabyte (1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 Bytes)
-
-
The
world’s technological capacity to receive information through
one-way broadcast
networks was 0.432 zettabytes of (optimally compressed) information
in 1986, 0.715 in 1993, 1.2 in 2000, and 1.9 (optimally compressed)
zettabytes in 2007 (this is the informational equivalent to every
person on earth receiving 174 newspapers per day).
-
According
to International
Data Corporation,
the total amount of global data is expected to grow to 2.7
zettabytes during 2012. This is 48% up from 2011.
-
Mark
Liberman
calculated the storage requirements for all human speech ever
spoken at 42 zettabytes if digitized as 16 kHz 16-bit audio. This
was done in response to a popular expression that states "all
words ever spoken by human beings" could be stored in
approximately 5 exabytes of data (see exabyte
for details). Liberman did "freely confess that maybe the
authors [of the exabyte estimate] were thinking about text."
-
Research
from the University
of Southern California
reports that in 2007, humankind successfully sent 1.9 zettabytes of
information through broadcast technology such as televisions and
GPS.
-
Research
from the University
of California, San Diego
reports that in 2008, Americans consumed 3.6 zettabytes of
information.
- The world’s technological capacity to receive information through one-way broadcast networks was 0.432 zettabytes of (optimally compressed) information in 1986, 0.715 in 1993, 1.2 in 2000, and 1.9 (optimally compressed) zettabytes in 2007 (this is the informational equivalent to every person on earth receiving 174 newspapers per day).
- According to International Data Corporation, the total amount of global data is expected to grow to 2.7 zettabytes during 2012. This is 48% up from 2011.
- Mark Liberman calculated the storage requirements for all human speech ever spoken at 42 zettabytes if digitized as 16 kHz 16-bit audio. This was done in response to a popular expression that states "all words ever spoken by human beings" could be stored in approximately 5 exabytes of data (see exabyte for details). Liberman did "freely confess that maybe the authors [of the exabyte estimate] were thinking about text."
- Research from the University of Southern California reports that in 2007, humankind successfully sent 1.9 zettabytes of information through broadcast technology such as televisions and GPS.
- Research from the University of California, San Diego reports that in 2008, Americans consumed 3.6 zettabytes of information.
