1 History of Data
This chapter covers
- An overview of what happens when each of us creates data through our online actions
- The ramification and implications of creating data that we do not control
- An explanation and out line of how the current data ecosystem came to be
- An initial look at why we do not understand the true nature of data ownership
- An overview of the various inaccurate descriptions of the salient characteristics of data
The path of least resistance is rarely the path of wisdom[1]
Tim Cook
Today, data is a unique and ubiquitous element in our lives. When data started out as a minor and relatively static component in our parent’s and grandparent’s lives, there was almost no attention paid to data…and rightly so.
Data was local, relatively static, was not easily shared, there was almost no infrastructure to share data between individuals or companies and even less interest in collecting, analyzing and leveraging data, and the tools for managing and integrating data were, for the most part, paper based.
The world has changed, dramatically, in relation to our ability to create, store, integrate, manage, analyze and leverage data.
Today, data is collected constantly and consistently about almost every individual and each online action taken.