Introduction to Data

Learning outcomes:

  • Define the difference between data and information
  • Explain an example of data vs. information
  • Describe how the data from your example might be useful

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  • What is data
    • Data is facts
    • Data is values
    • Data can be collected
  • What is information
    • Information is what we can get out of the data
    • If data is a fact, information tells us why that fact is important
      • Data: The sky is Blue
      • Information: Blue skies indicate clear weather and unlikely to rain
    • If data is a value, information is what we can do with that value
      • Data: Temp is 90°
      • Information: Not a good day to wear a sweater
    • If data is collected, information is what we can use the collection for
  • Data vs Information
    • Given the collection of data below, can you tell if I am referring to King Charles or Ozzy Osbourne?
      • Identifies as Male
      • Born in 1948
      • Raised in the UK
      • Married twice
      • Wealthy and famous
      • Has lived in a castle
    • If data is a collection of facts, information is the results of analyzing those facts to be able to get something useful from them
    • You can use information to make choices and decisions within a context
  • Why data and information are important to everyone
    • Data helps us make choices
    • Shopping in a grocery store you can see prices (Data) and this can help you figure out if you're going over budget and what you can make for the week (information)
  • How different jobs use data and information
    • Sales might see numbers go up or down and that can help them decide on the next ad campaign with marketing, or where those ad dollars could be better spent (YouTube vs Cable vs Popup ads)
    • Payroll might see how much money is coming into a company vs going out and give that to management to see if they can hire new employees
    • Food prep and kitchen staff might see increases in food waste on certain days and decide to redo ordering or prep to make better use of resources
    • Investors might see market trends go up or down and change where they are putting their money
  • Example: Data collected to make business decisions
    • The Advantages of Data Driven Decision Making
    • Business tracks money coming in through sales
    • Marketing tracks numbers of views on ads to see what's getting the most attention
    • Payroll tracks money going out through expenditures and salaries
    • Management tracks productivity of their teams to see what is being produced
    • All that information is presented to C-Suite people to make choices about which direction the company is going to go into
  • Example: Book data and libraries
    • Libraries track books coming in and out
    • Libraries track how many people go in and out of the building every day and weekly/monthly/yearly trends
    • Libraries track Book titles, Authors, ISBN numbers to see what's likely to be popular in their area
    • Libraries track how many and who comes to their events to see what they should have more/less of

Suggested Activities and Discussion Topics:

  • Discussion: Consider a situation where inaccurate data led to a wrong decision in either your own life or in the news. Can you think of an example, or share a scenario where data quality and reliability were crucial? Discuss why data accuracy matters.
  • Activity: Go to Information is Beautiful and find a data visualization about a topic you're interested in. Share the data visualization you find impressive or informative with someone you know. What makes it effective? How does it help in understanding complex information?
  • Activity: What is one job, career or industry you're interested in? Find out how they collect data and use the information they get from that data. See if you can figure out what they might change if the data was different or the context was different.

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