With certainty, we can say that we are in the process of a new big revolution that has its name, Big Data. Though the term was devised by scientists from the area such as astronomy and genomics, Big Data is everywhere. They are both a resource and a tool whose main task is to provide information. However, as far as it can help us better understand the world around us, depending on how they are managed and who controls them, they can take us in some other direction. Although the figures that bind to Big Data can seem enormous at this time, we must be aware that the amount of what we can collect and the process is always just a fraction of the information that really exists in the world (and around it). However, from something we have to start!

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This article describes the links between economic level, investment in Research & development (R&D), and Catalan freight transport between 2006 and 2016. Catalonia is the second most populous area in Spain, northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, whose economy ranks second among the Autonomous Communities, surpassed only by the Community of Madrid, to speak of a significant economic and social region. The study sought to answer the question of what economic contexts exist in the region regarding freight transport. To do all this, it uses mathematical-statistical tools to explore the relationships between real data sets, which were calculated using seven indicators. The analyses suggest a positive increase in the volume of imports and exports of goods in the region. The same is true for GDP per capita. It came as a surprise that virtually no positive correlations existed between R&D and any other indicators. In analysing the indicators, we found that the current economy was pushed back by the 2008 world economic change, similarly to international trends. At the same time, there has been rapid growth since 2010, especially in exports. This also means that Spain, particularly the Catalan region, has serious trade relations, which affect the region’s economic development and the freight transport industry.

An analysis of economic and social indicators provides a good overview of the situation of a country or region in terms of a service or an industry. These indicators can help determine development, even in a community such as the European Union, to establish rankings and take appropriate strategic decisions at the transport policy level. This study aims to analyse road freight transport's economic and social impact. The analysis of economic and social indicators for freight transport in logistics is presented. The trends in vehicle population change in the EU countries were examined, and the relationship between road freight transport and population development in the countries under study was analysed from an economic point of view. The aim was to explore the effects of transport policy measures taken in the region over the last ten years on freight transport, both economically and socially. The study found no correlation between social and freight transport indicators in the EU Member States. Whereas, there is a correlation in the economic dimension, which may raise further questions, for example, when looking in more detail at the situation of a country within the Community.