These days, there have been quite a number of discussions in town on
the important role of data in the development of Myanmar. I agree that
Myanmar has lacked data in terms of both quantity and quality and that
it has posted a huge challenge everywhere.
In light of this
challenge, there are quite a lot of efforts and emphasis put in data
collection - with some having the goal of "collect them all".
I believe this attitude of "collect them all" has gone the other extreme as well.
Here are a few reasons why:
1) when one collects all, s/he gets the
breadth but not the depth. It's hard to draw conclusions out of
shallowly curated data.
2) One also risks having more missing data
across every area. Any data isn't necessarily better than no data.
3)
Data, like any other product, isn't worth collecting without having a
user in mind. It's as important to collect data as to curate them well
and to encourage to use them.
In the moment of scarce resource and limited time frame, it will go
better if we prioritize a few key areas, make sure we have solid quality
data, and know how to use it.
