Why Is There Data?

Abstract

In order for data to become truly valuable (and truly useful), that data must first be processed. The question animating this essay is thus a straightforward one: What sort of processing must data undergo, in order to become valuable? While the question may be obvious, its answers are anything but; indeed, reaching them will require us to pose, answer – and then revise our answers to – several other questions that will prove trickier than they first appear: Why is data valuable – what is it for? What is "data"? And what does "working with data" actually involve? Keywords: Data, Data Processing, Knowledge Processing, Data Science, Philosophy of Science