definition
strict definition
observation
Data sources received as first-hand sensory input by the person entering the data.
Sources grouped under observation include situations where the data values were experienced directly by the person inputting the data, either as sensory experience (such as witnessing an event or perceiving a color), or as personal measurement.
The person entering the data experiences the relevant fact directly. Receiving another person's account of the same event has the separate direct communication meaning.
The group includes both personal observation and measurement. Counting visible items belongs to personal observation; reading a dimension with a scaled measuring device belongs to measurement.
More specific definitions
2 sub-definitionsRelated definitions
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autogeneration
Data produced automatically by analyzing information already present in the database, with validity dependent on those inputs. -
direct communication
Sources of data conveyed in speech or writing by anyone expected to have access to reliable sources. -
estimate
An educated guess about the value of data; not to be displayed as known data. -
system
A value written by the application itself rather than entered or read from an outside source by a person. -
text media
Data sources in the form of printed media, controlled databases, and similar numeric or textual formats. -
visual media
Data sources in the form of visual representations, generally requiring scaling or interpretation for data extraction. -
website
Sources of data in the form of html or similar content, not including web-hosted documents.