Let's talk about Data

We know Mustang and Jumla are popular in apple. We know, Dhankuta has huge production of oranges and bel. We also know Lalbandi has been growing large number of tomatoes. Now, what we don't know is 'Quantity'. We don't know how much apple is grown in Jumla and Mustang, we don't know the number of oranges and bel grown in Dhankuta. Nor do we have any idea about the quantity of tomatoes grown in Lalbandi.


It's good to be confident, but that confidence should be supported with some backup. Now, the trouble is we don't have a backup - we don't have data. We do have data about what quantity of youths fly abroad daily, but we don't have data about what number of population of age group 25-30 returns back and won't fly back. Not unless we know the size of the student in college, we can determine the quantity of furniture required; space required. Hence, data is something very essential for daily smooth operation to national development.

Now, data is to be analyzed by different think-tankers. Think Tankers barely get these data. There is record about number of trucks passing from Muglin towards Kathmandu, but that frequency is never known to these think-tankers. There are national level organizations who have made these data public to some extent, but when one has to get precise, there lacks data. Absence of data is the absence of analysis, illogical discussions, illogical discourse, and illogical estimation.
Again, those available data are in pdf form. So, if someone has to make an analysis of those data, they can't copy and make analysis on their own. Rather, they have to individually type them. It is never known, why pdf is used in that huge proportion rather than a spreadsheet. Maybe, they don't those data to be analyzed.
Data is only the means of transparency. Until and unless, these data are not gathered, not collected, not made public, the transparency level stays hidden. What happens within the space remains hidden. Not unless my family knows my salary, they can trace out my spending capacity. It’s the figure – that brings out the facts. It’s the figure – that shows the missing aspect of the story, and it is these figure – which helps in creating target for further improvement. Only when annual fever patients are estimated, the level of medicine can be scheduled; and shortage would not be filled.

Newly married females are highly interested in online shopping throughout Nepal. That is simply a hypothesis; because we don’t know the frequency who visits stores for purchase, and who purchase it online. Maintaining data is one important side that nation has to work out, and equal emphasis should be for publicizing data; because it’s public who has to make estimation over it.

Published in The Himalayan Times on 31st October 2018