Big data and process safety

There is a lot of action going on in the big data field and how it will help us improve process safety. I have operated chemical plants in the 80's and 90's and what I have observed is that the data flow to an operator in a control room has dramatically increased today, when compared to the past. Consequently he/she is now prone to making more errors. Adopting Dr Trevor Kletz' approach of inherent safety, could we pose a question.......is all the data really necessary? While technology is definitely an enabler, one has to draw a line between good data (useful data) and bad data (unwanted data that distracts operator attention).......what I mean is that while many of the modern control systems do have very useful features, we must filter out the data we do NOT want, at the design stage of the control system itself. As an example, if we restrict the number of alarms in the design stage itself, why do we need alarm management software to be retrofitted? Your thoughts, please.....