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+--- Thread: The proliferation of useless data (/thread-1653.html)
The proliferation of useless data - C C - Dec 1, 2015
http://junkcharts.typepad.com/numbersruleyourworld/2015/11/the-proliferation-of-useless-data.html
EXCERPT: [...] Great data collection is necessary but not sufficient for great data analysis. I recently had the unfortunate need to select a new doctor. Every time I had to do this, it has been an exercise in frustration and desperation. And after wasting hours and hours perusing the "data" on doctors, inevitably I give up and just throw a dart at the wall. Every medical insurer points you to their extensive online resource called the doctors' directory. [...] Conspicuously absent are any data that measure the quality or outcomes of the doctor. There is neither quantitative nor qualitative measure of quality or patient satisfaction. We don't know anything about wait times. [...] The data that are provided are essentially just that--data that convey almost no information....