Help
The topic of "unstructured data" came up during my recent interview with IBM researcher Julia Grace. It's an on-the-rise concept, particularly in data circles, and I asked Grace how she would describe it to a layperson. Her simple and on-point answer was great:
Julia Grace: Computer scientists and technophiles are used to dealing with information in rows and columns and strict formats. In the unstructured data space, all bets are off. With unstructured information you have to figure out the rules from the data. So you start with the information, and you try to see what's going on instead of already having an idea of what's happening.
I often think of this when I drive. If I'm driving around San Francisco, I can't even use my navigation system because you can't turn left half the time. There's no rhyme. There's no reason. There's no structure.
Q: So structured data is like Washington, D.C. and unstructured data is like San Francisco?
JG: Yes, that's how I feel about it.
Grace touches on a variety of related topics in the full interview. She'll also be keynoting at the upcoming Web 2.0 Expo in New York (Sept. 27-30).
Save 20% on registration with the code "webny10mca."
Related:
- What we can learn from data, 3-D and a globe
- Video: Kristina Chodorow on unstructured data and non-relational databases
- What is data science?
- A data science cheat sheet
- Data science democratized
