The role of Big Data in the evolution of Platform based Ecosystems : A case study of an emerging platform-based ecosystem in the software engineering industry

Sammanfattning: Platform based ecosystems are becoming dominant models in the software engineering industry. ‘Big data’ has recently gained increased attention from both academia and practitioners and it is believed that big data affects every sector and industry. While an abundance of research focuses on big data and platform-based ecosystems, these two are typically approached as secluded spheres. This study aimed toward an investigation of big data’s role in the evolution of platform-based ecosystems in the software engineering industry. In the present thesis the influence of big data on the software engineering industry and more specifically, the impact of big data on the evolution of software ecosystems, is examined. A case study focused on a platform owner and pioneer in the software engineering industry has been conducted. This study identifies challenges and opportunities triggered by the advent of big data in context of platform-based ecosystems. Hence, considerable insight regarding the impact of big data on contemporary platform providers and the evolution of platform-centric ecosystems is gained. The findings illustrate that software ecosystems are affected by big data in a positive manner, but some identified challenges emerge and have to be tackled. Additionally, in this paper, it is suggested that both academia and practitioners should dig deeper into this relationship and identify how the evolution of platform-based ecosystems is impacted by the advent of big data.