Data Simplification: Why Bother?

Conclusions that cannot be validated have no scientific value. 3) Data simplification is not simple. There is something self-defeating about the term, "data simplification". The term seems to imply a dumbing down process wherein naturally complex concepts are presented in a manner that is palatable to marginally competent scientists. Nothing can be further from the truth. Creating overly complex data has always been the default option for lazy-minded or cavalier scientists who lacked the will or the talent to produce a simple, well-organized, and well-annotated collection of data. The act of data simplification will always be one of the most challenging tasks facing data scientists, often requiring talents drawn from multiple disciplines. The sad truth is that there are very few data professionals who are competent to perform data simplification; and fewer still educators who can adequately teach the subject. 4) No single software application will solve your data simplification needs (29). Applications that claim to do everything for the user are, in most instances, applications that require the user to do everything for the application. The most useful software solutions often come in the form of open source utilities, designed to perform one method, very well, and very fast. In this book, dozens of freely available utilities are demonstrated. 5) Data simplification tools are data discovery tools, in the hands of creative individuals. The act of data simplificat...
Source: Specified Life - Category: Information Technology Tags: computer science data analysis data repurposing data simplification data wrangling information science simplifying data taming data Source Type: blogs