Chapter 5
Discovering New Forms of Data
In This Chapter
Understanding the data types available
Appreciating where to get data
Peeking into data’s future
The world is becoming increasingly datafied. Being datafied means that an activity or action (such as purchasing something) has been turned into data. This is also known as datafication.
Datafication is leading to new forms of data. Some of the data we can now collect is new, some has been around a while but we’ve only just found ways to make it genuinely useful. In this chapter I look at the main forms of data that are being collected, stored and analysed.
In this chapter, I give some examples on how you might use these types of data in your business. There’s more on big data uses for small businesses in Chapter 3. To understand the technology advances that underpin these new forms of data, see Chapter 6.
One of the simplest ways to understand the datafication process is to think about the difference between a traditional paperback book and the same book on an e-reader. Using digital files, you can store hundreds of books on an ...
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