Raw data, as Gitelman suggested, has “understandable appeal.” When people collect a large number of data, they feel empowered to compile, store, manipulate, transmit, and INTERPRET data to their own understanding. The raw data is straightforward, comprehensive to some extent, transparent and self-evident. It is difficult to ignore the beauty of raw data yet remember the interpretive base of the raw data . This article reminds me of the data collection process we are currently doing for the LGBTQ interactive map. For the first glance, it would be pretty impressive to observe the 170 survey responses being collected over just one week. Yet, we still need to remind ourselves constantly that our interpretation of the raw data could be subjective.

At the same time, I also enjoy reading Gitelman’s perspective on 1. the concept of “raw data” could be limited for different disciplines, especially the literacy and humanistic fields. 2. the concept of “raw data” fails to address the non-English world where data could be understood and interpreted differently.