Producing Data

2. Defining Data

2.1. Data: Numbers in context

Let's consider the previous example again.

Why would we want to organise the numbers in this box into data? Well, if these numbers came from the personnel records of the University of Hard Knocks (context), we would have a reason for organising these numbers in a way that would show us something about the personnel records (system).

Table 1 - Personnel records for the University of Hard Knocks

By organising numbers in this way, we can start to make judgements about aspects of this information, such as who earns the most money and who began employment with the university first. Using these data we can make further interpretations. For instance, by looking at weekly salaries, we can infer that Beaumont has a more responsible position within the university than Lee or Smith. Similarly, by looking at leave entitlement, we can assume that Lee has worked at the university the longest.

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