What is Raw Data?

Raw data, also known as source data or atomic data, is data that has not been processed in order to be displayed in any sort of presentable form. The raw form may look very unrecognizable and be nearly meaningless without processing, but it may also be in a form that some can interpret, depending on the situation. Raw data can be processed manually or by a machine.

Raw data in some cases, can be nothing more than a series of numbers. However, the way those numbers are sequenced, and sometimes even the way they are spaced, can be very important information. A computer may interpret this information and give a readout that then may make sense to the reader.

Binary code is a good example of raw data. Taken by itself as a printout, a binary code does very little for the computer user, at least the vast majority of users. However, when it is processed through a computer, it provides more understandable information. In fact, binary code is often the source code for everything a computer user sees.

In some cases, raw data may never be seen in its final form, especially by those working in data entry applications. In these situations, the user is responsible only for entering the information. In some cases, the person entering the raw data may not even know exactly what they are entering or why. This is especially helpful when security or privacy is important. It helps ensure no worker inserts any biased or intentionally false information for the purposes of hurting or benefiting someone.

For example, in some medical applications, there can be very strict regulations regarding patient privacy, yet the data still may need to be entered into a database. To prevent as many people as possible from identifying the person, each patient may be assigned a number. Their conditions may also be assigned a number, as well as their treatment options. Without the knowledge of what those numbers mean, there is no way to identify the patient or condition. That identifying information may only be available to a handful of people.

In some ways, the example with the patient is a rarity in that hardly ever is processed data converted into a form considered raw. Instead, raw data is usually processed to make it more refined. However, there are many different applications where raw data appears and the rules regarding what to do with it is based on those situations.

Written by Ken Black