What Is Data

Data is everywhere — in spreadsheets, maps, receipts, and sensor readings. Learn what data actually means and why it matters.

The word data gets used constantly — in news headlines, business meetings, and government reports. But what does it actually mean?

At its simplest, data is a collection of recorded facts, figures, or observations. A temperature reading. A postal code. A customer's name. A count of vehicles passing through an intersection. All of these are data.

Data vs. Information

Data and information are related but different. Data is raw — it's the individual facts before they've been interpreted. Information is what you get when you give data context and meaning.

For example: the number 23 is data. "The temperature in Ottawa today is 23°C" is information. The number gains meaning when you add context — what it measures, where, and when.

Real-World Example

A spreadsheet of customer orders contains data: order numbers, dates, amounts, and postal codes. When you analyze it to find your top-selling product last quarter, you've turned that data into information.

Types of Data

Data comes in many forms:

  • Quantitative data — numbers you can measure or count (sales figures, temperatures, distances)
  • Qualitative data — descriptions, categories, or text (customer feedback, product names, city names)
  • Temporal data — data tied to time (timestamps, dates, durations)
  • Spatial data — data tied to location (coordinates, addresses, postal codes)

Where Does Data Come From?

Data is generated constantly. Every time someone fills out a form, makes a purchase, sends a message, or walks past a sensor, data is created. Governments collect data through censuses and surveys. Businesses collect it through transactions. Scientists collect it through experiments.

In Canada, a huge amount of data is collected and published by federal, provincial, and municipal governments as open data — freely available for anyone to use.

Why Data Matters

Data is the foundation of good decisions. Without data, decisions are based on guesses and assumptions. With good data, you can identify patterns, spot problems early, allocate resources effectively, and measure whether your actions are working.

Understanding data — even at a basic level — helps you evaluate claims, question statistics, and participate more meaningfully in conversations about policy, business, and community.

Next Step

Now that you know what data is, learn about the different ways it can be organized in Structured vs Unstructured Data.

Structured vs Unstructured Data →