This document provides an introduction to big data, including what it is, where it comes from, and its key characteristics. It discusses the 3Vs of big data - volume, velocity, and variety. Volume refers to the large size of big data in peta bytes. Velocity means data is available in real-time. Variety means data comes from various structured, unstructured, and semi-structured sources. Other characteristics discussed are valence, which is the connectedness of big data, and veracity, which refers to the uncertainty and noise in data. The document outlines how big data looks and provides references for further information.