19^th International CODATA Conference
Category: Data Quality

Data Evaluation as a Scientific Discipline

Ronald G. Munro
Ceramics Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA

The issue of data quality is as immense as the imagination allows. It is a concern to researchers and practitioners in all manner of activities and endeavors. It affects how we view our environment and ourselves and underlies both our professional and personal reputations. Yet, in spite of the vast diversity of context and application of these concerns, there ought to be a set of principles that provides a formal foundation for assessing data quality in all of its many guises. We shall explore this diversity and attempt to extract the essential principles through which data evaluation may be viewed as a scientific discipline serving as a safeguard to our observations and perceptions.