What is "data"

Data \Da"ta\, n. pl. [L. pl. of datum.]

1. See Datum.

2. a collection of facts, observations, or other information related to a particular question or problem; as, the historical data show that the budget deficit is only a small factor in determining interest rates.

   Note: The term in this sense is used especially in reference to experimental observations collected in the course of a controlled scientific investigation.

3. (Computers) information, most commonly in the form of a series of binary digits, stored on a physical storage medium for manipulation by a computer program. It is contrasted with the program which is a series of instructions used by the central processing unit of a computer to manipulate the data. In some conputers data and execuatble programs are stored in separate locations.

Datum \Da"tum\, n.; pl. Data. [L. See 2d Date.]

1. Something given or admitted; a fact or principle granted; that upon which an inference or an argument is based; -- used chiefly in the plural.

   Any writer, therefore, who . . . furnishes us with data sufficient to determine the time in which he wrote.
   --Priestley.

2. a single piece of information; a fact; especially a piece of information obtained by observation or experiment; -- used mostly in the plural.

3. pl. (Math.) The quantities or relations which are assumed to be given in any problem.

4. (Surveying) a point, line, or level surface used as a reference in measuring elevations.
   --RHUD

   Datum line (Surv.), the horizontal or base line, from which the heights of points are reckoned or measured, as in the plan of a railway, etc. [1913 Webster] ||

1640s, plural of datum, from Latin datum "(thing) given," neuter past participle of dare "to give" (see date (n.1)). Meaning "transmittable and storable computer information" first recorded 1946. Data processing is from 1954.

n. 1 (datum nodot=1 English)Category:English plurals: Pieces of information. 2 (context uncountable collectively English) information, especially in a scientific or computational context.

See datum

n. a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn; "statistical data" [syn: information]

1. n. an item of factual information derived from measurement or research [syn: data point]

2. [also: data (pl)]

Lieutenant Commander Data is a character in the fictional Star Trek universe portrayed by actor Brent Spiner. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis. He was found by Starfleet in 2338 as a sole survivor on Omicron Theta in the rubble of a colony left after an attack from the Crystalline Entity.

An artificial intelligence and synthetic life form designed, built by as much self-likeness to, Doctor Noonien Soong (likewise portrayed by Spiner), Data is a self-aware, sapient, sentient, and anatomically fully functional android who serves as the second officer and chief operations officer aboard the Federation starships USS Enterprise-D and USS Enterprise-E. His positronic brain allows him impressive computational capabilities. Data experienced ongoing difficulties during the early years of his life with understanding various aspects of human behavior and was unable to feel emotion or understand certain human idiosyncrasies, inspiring him to strive for his own humanity. This goal eventually led to the addition of an "emotion chip", also created by Soong, to Data's positronic net. Although Data's endeavor to increase his humanity and desire for human emotional experience is a significant plot point (and source of humor) throughout the series, he consistently shows a nuanced sense of wisdom, sensitivity, and curiosity, garnering immense respect from his peers and colleagues.

Data is in many ways a successor to the original Star Treks Spock ( Leonard Nimoy), in that the character offers an "outsider's" perspective on humanity, even briefly working with Spock in the two-part Next Generation episode, Unification.

Data ( Greek: Δεδομένα, Dedomena) is a work by Euclid. It deals with the nature and implications of "given" information in geometrical problems. The subject matter is closely related to the first four books of Euclid's Elements.

Data is a genus of moths of the Noctuidae family.

Data is a village located in Hisar district in Haryana, India.

The word data has generated considerable controversy on if it is a singular, uncountable noun, or should be treated as the plural of the now-rarely-used datum.

Data is uninterpreted information.

Data or DATA may also refer to:

• Data (computing), in computer science, often distinguished from code or software
• Data (mobile communications), one of three measures used in calculating mobile telephony service usage, the other two being "talktime" and "texts"; a definition of this sense of "data" is sought
• Data (Euclid), a book by Euclid
• Data (moth), a moth genus
• Data (Star Trek), a fictional android in the Star Trek universe
• Data URI scheme
• Design and Technology Academy, a school in San Antonio, Texas, USA
• Durham Area Transit Authority, the public transit agency serving Durham, North Carolina, USA
• Data, a character in The Goonies
• DATA, a diaryltriazine, a class of organic molecules
• DATA, a non-governmental organization founded by Bono
• Draughtsmen's and Allied Technicians' Association, a defunct British trade union
• Data (word), for the word "data" in English

Data ( , or ; treated as singular, plural, or as a mass noun) is any sequence of one (1) or more symbols given meaning by specific act(s) of interpretation.

Data (or datum – a single unit of data) is not information. Data requires interpretation to become information. To translate data to information, there must be several known factors considered. The factors involved are determined by the creator of the data and the desired information. The term metadata is used to reference the data about the data. Metadata may be implied, specified or given. Data relating to physical events or processes will also have a temporal component. In almost all cases this temporal component is implied. This is the case when a device such as a temperature logger received data from a temperature sensor. When the temperature is received it is assumed that the data has a temporal references of "now". So the device records the date, time and temperature together. When the data logger communicates temperatures, it must also report the date and time ( metadata) for each temperature.

Digital data is data that is represented using the binary number system of ones (1) and zeros (0). As opposed to analog representation. In modern (post 1960) computer systems, all data is digital. Data within a computer, in most cases, moves as parallel data. Data moving to or from a computer, in most cases, moves as serial data. See Parallel communication and Serial communication. Data sourced from an analog device, such as a temperature sensor, must pass through an "analog to digital converter" or "ADC" (see Analog-to-digital converter) to convert the analog data to digital data.

Data representing quantities, characters, or symbols on which operations are performed by a computer, stored and recorded on magnetic, optical, or mechanical recording media, and transmitted in the form of digital electrical signals.

A program is a set of data that consists of a series of coded software instructions to control the operation of a computer or other machine. Physical computer memory elements consist of an address and a byte/word of data storage. Digital data are often stored in relational databases, like tables or SQL databases, and can generally be represented as abstract key/value pairs.

Data can be organized in many different types of data structures, including arrays, graphs, and objects. Data structures can store data of many different types, including numbers, strings and even other data structures. Data pass in and out of computers via peripheral devices.

In an alternate usage, binary files (which are not human-readable) are sometimes called "data" as distinguished from human-readable " text". The total amount of digital data in 2007 was estimated to be 281 billion gigabytes (= 281 exabytes).

Data ( , , or ) is a set of values of qualitative or quantitative variables; restated, pieces of data are individual pieces of information. Data is measured, collected and reported, and analyzed, whereupon it can be visualized using graphs or images. Data as a general concept refers to the fact that some existing information or knowledge is represented or coded in some form suitable for better usage or processing.

Raw data, i.e. unprocessed data, is a collection of numbers, characters; data processing commonly occurs by stages, and the "processed data" from one stage may be considered the "raw data" of the next. Field data is raw data that is collected in an uncontrolled in situ environment. Experimental data is data that is generated within the context of a scientific investigation by observation and recording.

The Latin word "data" is the plural of "datum", and still may be used as a plural noun in this sense. Nowadays, though, "data" is most commonly used in the singular, as a mass noun (like "information", "sand" or "rain").

DATA was an electronic music band created in the late 1970s by Georg Kajanus, creator of such bands as Eclection, Sailor and Noir (with Tim Dry of the robotic/music duo Tik and Tok). After the break-up of Sailor in the late 1970s, Kajanus decided to experiment with electronic music and formed DATA, together with vocalists Francesca ("Frankie") and Phillipa ("Phil") Boulter, daughters of British singer John Boulter.

The classically orientated title track of DATA’s first album, Opera Electronica, was used as the theme music to the short film, Towers of Babel (1981), which was directed by Jonathan Lewis and starred Anna Quayle and Ken Campbell. Towers of Babel was nominated for a BAFTA award in 1982 and won the Silver Hugo Award for Best Short Film at the Chicago International Film Festival of the same year.

DATA released two more albums, the experimental 2-Time (1983) and the Country & Western-inspired electronica album Elegant Machinery (1985). The title of the last album was the inspiration for the name of Swedish pop synth group, elegant MACHINERY, formerly known as Pole Position.

In 1995, Accumulator was released, a compilation album containing the complete albums 2-Time and Elegant Machinery, and the track "Fallout" from Opera Electronica.