Abstracts

Data Quality: A Business Statisticians greatest challenge

Michelle Wood
IAG New Zealand Limited

Whilst we live to fit the model and answer the question of life there is often much work and many hours spent at the computer looking at, and trying to decipher the data. It can be an art form to extract meaningful information from databases not designed with statistical analysis in mind. This talk is a lighted hearted look at some of the discoveries that I have made about different data that I have handled in preparation for statistical analysis within a variety of industries, ranging from clinical trials research through to commercial lines insurance pricing. There are some useful database design basics that can assist us in the understanding of the data structure. Once the data structure is understood then attention is drawn to the variables and their content, which can have some interesting challenges especially in industries where information may be secondary to doing business and data quality doesn't have a high priority. I hope to share some of my successes and failures in handling data from different sources and offer some advice that may assist you in maximising the value you can extract from your data sources.


Session 1d, Statistics Education Resources: 16:20 — 16:40, Room 446

Presentation Program