It’s a buzzword. It’s a powerful tool. It’s misunderstood. The technology moves at an ever-increasing velocity.  It’s This Week in Big Data — a round-up of the most interesting data-filled journalism and content marketing.

1. PROGRAMMATIC/BROADCAST Nielsen Acquires Exelate, a data management player. “While programmatic ad-buying at the moment is largely a feature of the online advertising world, Mr. Hasker said he wants Nielsen to be ready if and when it moves into the $70-billion U.S. television advertising market.” [Ad Age]

2. RETAIL How image recognition is “snapping mobile commerce into place,” a roundup of Snap-to-Buy platforms. [PSFK]

3.  DIGITAL ANALYTICS Here’s Kiss Metrics’ inevitable post on applying Lean Startup taxonomy to “Lean Analytics.” … As with everything from Kiss Metrics – very readable and useful. [Kiss Metrics]

4. EDUCATION Excellent long read on how the “Teach Like a Champion” guy started the whole enterprise with a video camera and a spreadsheet.  He made close empirical observations of even the smallest in-class behaviors exhibited by outstanding teachers.  This spreadsheet came to be known as “the taxonomy” and basically went viral around the teaching profession.  Poignant because it’s true. Spreadsheet still a work in progress. Whole swaths of the education community has become converted.   [The Guardian]

5.  SPORTS Here’s a data-journalism take on “Why NCAA Tournament 5 Seeds are Jinxed.” We know the Big Dance is exciting, but could there really be something about the tournament that makes favorites underperform and gives underdogs better-than-normal chances? [Fivethirtyeight]