This article discusses the results of a multi-industry and multi-country survey carried out to understand the needs, requirements, and use of big data and analytics by public and private organizations in decision-making, business processes and emerging business models. In particular, these issues are analyzed in specific industries where big data exploitation may have not only an economic value but also and an impact on social value dimensions such as, e.g., public and personal safety. Furthermore, the survey aims at questioning the characteristics of big data ecosystems in different and specific domains, thus identifying existing or potential barriers to the development of new data-driven industrial sectors along the big data information value chain. Finally, the authors have identified three key challenges (big data efficiency, effectiveness, and accessibility) to classify the survey results that showed low utilization rate of the data collected, lack of right tools and capabilities, the low rate of digital transformation of the companies as the key concerns for the respondents.