Transcript What is data? - Cambridge University Library

WHAT IS DATA?
(And why you should care)
What is ‘data’?
• How do you define
‘data’?
• Does it matter how
‘data’ is defined?
• What is your data?
From ‘C3PO vs. Data’ by JD Hancock on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdhancock/4617759902/
What is ‘data’?
“A reinterpretable representation of information in a
formalized manner suitable for communication,
interpretation, or processing.”
Digital Curation Centre
What is ‘data’?
Any information you use in
your research
Why you should care
Reason 1:
Data are fragile and
easy to lose
‘data garbage’ by steffenz on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/steffenz/336512756/
Storage media
are fragile
‘data garbage by steffenz on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/steffenz/336512756/
http://blogs.ch.cam.ac.uk/pmr/2011/08/01/why-youneed-a-data-management-plan/
http://blogs.ch.cam.ac.uk/pmr/2011/08/01/why-youneed-a-data-management-plan/
What would happen to your
data if there was a fire in
your office, department or
home?
“Fire” by andrewmalone via flickr.: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewmalone/2032844649/
‘books in a stack (a stack of books)’ by austinevan on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/austinevan/1225274637/
Can you find
things you know
you have when
you need them?
‘books in a stack (a stack of books)’ by austinevan on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/austinevan/1225274637/
Why you should care
Reason 2:
Data are part of your
(research) legacy
Love your data!
‘The Eduardo Paolozzi sculpture of Newton at the British Library’ by dumbledad on flickr :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dumbledad/3372398044/ CC-BY-2.0
Send your research
into the future!
Open Access Teaching Materials
for Digital Preservation
Produced by Anna Collins (Cambridge
University Library) for the JISC-funded
PrePARe project (2012)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.