What is data? This seems like a simplistic question until you really sit down to think about it. Is writing the number two on a piece of paper considered data? What about the exploding message that contains Inspector Gadget’s newest mission? Admittedly, these are a lot of questions, but that is the nature of data. Data often leads to more questions despite getting more answers.
To me, data is defined as, “The attempt to describe reality in a format that is designed to be accessed more than once.” So, to revisit our initial questions:
Is writing the number two on a piece of paper considered data?
It probably won’t surprise you if I say, “it depends”. The piece of paper definitely meets the formatting requirement, but if writing the number two isn’t an attempt to describe reality, then it should not be considered data.
What about the exploding message that contains Inspector Gadget’s newest mission?
The mission is an attempt to describe reality by communicating what the author wants to happen. Additionally, even though the message is intended to be transient, both the author and the recipient accessed its content. So yes, the mission qualifies as data.
However, an unrecorded conversation does not meet these two requirements. Information is shared, but it is not stored in an accessible format. You can argue that the human brain is an accessible format, but I’d counter with a friendly challenge – try to remember what you had for dinner 1 week ago on Tuesday.
Goodbye for now.
– DQC