The Little Book of Data

Data is not about number crunching. Its about ideas. And when used properly (read: ethically), it is the problem solver of our time. Yet many savvy people seem to be in data denial: they dont think they need to understand data, or its too complicated, or worse, using it is somehow unethical. Yet as data and AI (just an accelerated way to put data to work) move to the center of professional and civic life, every professional and citizen needs to harness this power. In The Little Book of Data, each chapter illustrates one of the core principles of solving problems with data by featuring an expert who has solved a big problem with datafrom the entrepreneur creating a loneliness score to the epidemiologist trying to save lives by finding disease hotspots. The stories are told in a fast-moving, vivid, sometimes comic style, and cover a wide frame of reference from adtech to climate tech, the bubonic plague, tiny submarines, genomics, railroads, bond ratings, and meat grading. (Thats right. Meat.) Along the way Evans injects lessons from his own career journey and offers practical thought-starters for readers to apply to their own organizations. By reading The Little Book of Data, you will achieve the fluency to apply your data superpowers to your own mission and challengesand you will have fun along the way. You will be, in other words, a data person.