What Exactly is Data?
In the field of computer science, data is information that has been translated into a form that is easier for movement and processing. It is also defined as facts or figures, that are stored or used by the computing device. We also have raw data, which is defined as data in its basic format. Data in its form does not carry any information or have a specific meaning. When we tag logical meaning with data, it is known as information.
A computer or a computing device treats data as information that can be processed to produce useful results. This information can be in the form of texts, documents, audio, images, or other software applications. As computer science stores data in binary format, it can be created processed, saved, or stored digitally.
Examples of Data
We have so much data that is available today that, it’s not possible to list everything here. But let’s try to list some frequently used data as an example. These data are being collected in everyday life from different sources. They are used to emanating insights and are used for everyday applications.
- Emails
- Text (SMS / Message/Email/Notes)
- Audio (Songs, Recordings)
- Videos (Movies/Video recordings/TV Shows)
- Data from Sensors (Traffic/Weather/Car)
- Image from Satellites
- Travel and Transportation (Travel logs/Tickets)
- Data from airline logs
- News and Information
- Retail (Shopping/Purchase Data)
- Healthcare and Medical Services (Claims/Medical records)
What are the Types of Data?
Classification of data is a tricky topic as they can be classified in different ways given a context.
In Statistics, data are divided into two types.
- Qualitative: These are the types of data that we cannot measure in numbers.
They are Nominal and Ordinal Data.
- Quantitative: These are the types of data that can be measured quantitatively
They are discrete and Continuous data.
Data Storage Measurements
When we store data on a storage device or hard disk storage, it is measured differently. We need to choose the technology to choose the right storage requirement for the projects. When we study data, we also need to understand how it is measured in the computer science world.
| Unit | Abbreviations | Capacity | Description |
| Bit | b | 0 or 1 (or On and Off) | It is the atomic and smallest unit of storage that can store 0 or 1. |
| Byte | B | 8 bits | It can store a character like “a” or “b” |
| Kilobyte | KB | 1024 bytes | It can store 2 or 3 paragraphs of text |
| Megabyte | MB | 1024 kilobytes | It can store 4 books with 200 pages each |
| Gigabyte | GB | 1024 megabytes | It can store around 4000 books with 200 pages each |
| Terabyte | TB | 1024 gigabytes | It can store around 2 million books with 200 pages each |
| PetaByte | PB | 1024 terabytes | It can store around 4 billion books with 200 pages each |
| Exabyte | EB | 1024 petabytes | It can store around 4000 billion books with 200 pages each |
| Zettabyte | ZB | 1024 exabytes | It can store around 4 million billion books with 200 pages each |
| Yottabyte | YB | 1024 zettabytes | It can store around 5 billion billion books with 200 pages each |
Conclusion
So far, We have learned about data and its types. We also read about the various examples of data and the data storage measurements details.
Do you think this is enough to learn about the data?
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