IT is something most of us are familiar with to some degree – but now a new book is aiming to unravel the jargon of big data.

Big Data Terminology is, according to its authors, the world’s first multilingual terminology book on the subject. It aims at standardising the vocabulary its subject uses.

Published in Beijing by China Science Publishing and Media (CSPM), the lexicon is now being released globally.

Research was carried out by a new Chinese think tank – the Key Laboratory of Big Data Strategy – whose director, Professor Lian Yuming, is the book’s editor-in-chief.

The tome is the result of collaboration between hundreds of experts and dozens of organisations, and provides what is seen as “a comprehensive picture of the big data knowledge system within the global context and from the perspective of the future”.

Entries are in nine categories, ranging from the basics of big data to legislation, and including strategy, technology, finance, standards and security. It comes in 11 languages – Chinese, Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

Its publishers say the languages represent four of the world’s “language families”, which are spoken in more than 200 countries and regions on six continents.

“Big Data Terminology represents an innovative project in presenting the results of interdisciplinary, specialised and open research concerning big data,” said CSPM.

“Thanks to the pioneering work by the Key Laboratory of Big Data Strategy following its research effort related to block data, data rights law, and sovereignty blockchain, the book shows remarkable foresight and originality.”

CSPM said it will allow China to have a greater voice in the global realm of big data and in the setting of standards, adding: “It will accelerate the dissemination and application of big data knowledge while contributing to ... the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.”