Big Data's Human Error Problem | Big Data

Some publicity about a panel I am moderating at the MIT CDO/IQ Conference next month.

Has the problem of bad data grown worse in the era of big data? No, not really, says author and industry analyst Joe Maguire, one of the organizers of the MIT Chief Data Officer and Information Quality (CDOIQ) Symposium, to be held July 17-19 in Cambridge, Mass.

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When it comes to information, digital or otherwise, one fact never changes: humans and data quality errors are inseparable, Maguire told InformationWeek in a phone and email interview. Furthermore, data that's too clean -- devoid of any signs of human blunders -- is immediately suspect.

"Sure, bad data touches human lives -- and vice versa. Humans are known to make a certain number of typos. In certain contexts, immaculate data could be a sign of fraud. If humans are involved in the production of data, you should expect it to be imperfect," Maguire wrote via email.

Big Data's Human Error Problem | Big Data