Overview

A practical guide to making good decisions in a world of missing data In the era of big data, it is easy to imagine that we have all the information we need to make good decisions. But in fact the data we have are never complete, and may be only the tip of the iceberg. Just as much of the universe is composed of dark matter, invisible to us but

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This unique and much-needed book provides an accessible guide to dark data at a time when general awareness of the phenomenon is declining. -Geert Molenberghs, Universiteit Hasselt and KU Leuven It is hard to think of anyone having anything at all to do with data-driven decisions who couldn't benefit from reading this book. David Hand effortlessly guides the reader through the many pitfalls of dark data. -Arno Siebes, Universiteit Utrecht David Hand shines a bright light onto the dark corners of statistics. This is a learned book but a witty, readable, and important one. I learned a lot and so will you. -Tim Harford, author of Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy and presenter of the BBC series More or Less When we make decisions in our personal and professional lives, we typically start with some form of data. The very word 'data' derives from the Latin meaning 'something given.' But who gave it? Where is it from? Should I accept it at face value? Opening our eyes to the pitfalls of taking 'something given' for granted, this insightful book should be required reading for everyone in an age when 'fake news' and the explosion of data go hand in hand. -Adrian Smith, director and chief executive of The Alan Turing Institute

You need to read [Dark Data], and be convinced by David's reasoning and his examples of cases in which unseen or unreported data play a critical and sometimes even a fatal role. You are likely to walk away with the feeling that the term dark data is indeed a very effective one to arouse both curiosity and suspicion, mixed with happiness that finally a great term was coined by a statistician-and sadness that the statistician is not you. ---Xiao-Li Meng, IMS Bulletin

You need to read [Dark Data], and be convinced by David's reasoning and his examples of cases in which unseen or unreported data play a critical and sometimes even a fatal role. You are likely to walk away with the feeling that the term dark data is indeed a very effective one to arouse both curiosity and suspicion, mixed with happiness that finally a great term was coined by a statistician-and sadness that the statistician is not you. ---Xiao-Li Meng, IMS Bulletin An exploration of a major problem in data analysis with an attempt of classification, analysing causes, mechanisms, and to some extent also suggest mitigations. ---Adhemar Bultheel, European Mathematical Society [A] penetrating study of missing ('dark') data and its impacts on decisions . . . Hand offers expert training, from recognizing when facts are being cherry-picked to designing randomized trials. A book illuminating shadowed corners in science, medicine and policy. ---Barbara Kiser, Nature

Author Information

David J. Hand is emeritus professor of mathematics and senior research investigator at Imperial College London, a former president of the Royal Statistical Society, and a fellow of the British Academy. His many previous books include The Improbability Principle, Measurement: A Very Short Introduction, Statistics: A Very Short Introduction, and Principles of Data Mining.

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