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I think the author decides that "raw data" means "reality", when I don't think that's a useful definition, as it, as the author showed, leads to the conclusion
by yuliyp 8y ago
I think the author decides that "raw data" means "reality", when I don't think that's a useful definition, as it, as the author showed, leads to the conclusion that raw data does not exist.
Instead, a more useful definition are that "Raw data" are observations of things. Those observations can occur in lots of different ways (surveys, logging calls, billing system records, just to name a few). It's important to always distinguish between the method of observation and the thing that's being observed, though.
Similarly, once you have "raw data", you can analyze it. That analysis too is yet another transformative step, which can introduce more biases and errors.
- simonh 8y agoQuite, it’s context dependent. Raw format for sensor data from a camera is a good example. There are many ways image sensor data can be processed to generate a generic image file such as a JPEG, and that involves selective choices. I think it’s useful to make that distinction. In general it just means the original source data as distinct from processed, selected, edited or derived data.