What is data?

Data are values of qualitative or quantitative variables, belonging to a set of items.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data

Data are values of qualitative or quantitative variables, belonging to a set of items.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data

Set of items: Sometimes called the population; the set of objects you are interested in

Data are values of qualitative or quantitative variables, belonging to a set of items.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data

Variables: A measurement or characteristic of an item.

Data are values of qualitative or quantitative variables, belonging to a set of items.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data

Qualitative: Country of origin, sex, treatment

Quantitative: Height, weight, blood pressure

http://brianknaus.com/software/srtoolbox/s_4_1_sequence80.txt

https://dev.twitter.com/docs/api/1/get/blocks/blocking

http://blue-button.github.com/challenge/

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/26/technology/in-a-big-network-of-computers-evidence-of-machine-learning.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://www.pnas.org/content/109/30/12081.full https://soundcloud.com/uncoolbob/sets/darwintunes

http://www.data.gov/

• The most important thing in data science is the question
• The second most important is the data
• Often the data will limit or enable the questions
• But having data can't save you if you don't have a question