This document specifies the big data reference architecture (BDRA). The reference architecture includes concepts and architectural views.

The reference architecture specified in this document defines two architectural viewpoints:

— a user view defining roles/sub-roles, their relationships, and types of activities within a big data ecosystem;

— a functional view defining the architectural layers and the classes of functional components within those layers that implement the activities of the roles/sub-roles within the user view.

The BDRA is intended to:

— provide a common language for the various stakeholders;

— encourage adherence to common standards, specifications, and patterns;

— provide consistency of implementation of technology to solve similar problem sets;

— facilitate the understanding of the operational intricacies in big data;

— illustrate and understand the various big data components, processes, and systems, in the context of an overall big data conceptual model;

— provide a technical reference for government departments, agencies and other consumers to understand, discuss, categorize and compare big data solutions; and

— facilitate the analysis of candidate standards for interoperability, portability, reusability, and extendibility.