Data Quality - New Insight from the TOS

Data quality is a broad, often loosely defined term. There are many problem- and discipline-related definitions to be found in the literature. This section shall not try to define data quality in any comprehensive, far less complete sense - suffice to denounce any definition that does not include the specific aspect of sample representativity however. Data is often equated with information, but this can only be in a hidden, potential form. Only data analysis together with interpretation may reveal information - which will always be in a particular problem-specific context only. Such issues are not usually seen as problematic in chemometrics and in PAT, where the pre-history of a data table ( data ) in general receives but scant attention. One relevant, major exception is Martens and Martens (2001) [26] who focus comprehensively on Multivariate Analysis of Quality . But even here there is a narrow focus on quality of information only, defined as ... dependent on reliability and relevance , without further clarifying the definition of these open-ended adjectives. 

In as much as the present TOS expose has specified clearly that reliable analytical information derives from reliable analytical results (data) , meaning analytical results exclusively stemming from representative samples and commensurate sampling plans, it stands to reason that any definition of data quality perforce must include reflections/reference to representative sampling. Thus it is crucial also to contemplate the specific origin(s) of any data set in the context of the TOS. 

From the perspective presented in this chapter, manipulations and modeling of data without proper considerations as to their representativity (strictly speaking the representativity of the samples analyzed) 

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