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Chapter 2: Data

Chapter 2: Data

pp. 37-65

Authors

, University of Washington
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Summary

“Just as trees are the raw material from which paper is produced, so too, can data be viewed as the raw material from which information is obtained.” To present and interpret information, one must start with a process of gathering and sorting data. And for any kind of data analysis, one must first identify the right kinds of information sources.

previous chapter, we discussed different forms of data. The height–weight data we saw was numerical and structured. When you post a picture using your smartphone, that is an example of multimedia data. The datasets mentioned in the section on public policy are government or open data collections.

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