The term "big data" is semantically ambiguous due to the varying contexts to which it is applied and the motivations of the users applying it. The first question that may have occurred to you on seeing this chapter's title is "how is this applicable to matplotlib or even plotting in general?" Before we answer this question though, let's establish a working definition of big data.

The Wikipedia article on big data opens with the following informal definition:

This description is honest, as it admits that the definition is imprecise. It also implies that the definition may change given the differing contexts. The words large and complex are relative, and the term traditional data processing is not going to mean the same thing in different segments of the industry. In fact, different departments in a single organization may have widely varying data processing "traditions...