Emerging economies, emerging challenges: Mobilising and capturing value from big data

•The study examines how big data can be utilised to help governments make timely decisions.•The paper examines both digital surveillance systems and traditional monitoring techniques.•The paper articulates strategies of how governments can extract maximum value from big data to combat contagious diseases.

As technology advances and voluminous new data are generated on a daily basis, the ability to harness and utilise big data not only enhances firms' competitiveness but also equips governments for the twenty-first century. This study examines how governments can utilise big data to combat health challenges. The study focuses specifically on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa to illustrate how various technologies and techniques were utilised jointly to combat and contain the outbreak. An integrated technology roadmappping approach was developed which encompasses digital surveillance systems and traditional monitoring techniques to articulate how governments can capture value from big data to combat such contagious diseases. Policy and practical implications are identified and discussed.