Statistics: Power from Data!
1 Data, statistical information and statistics

Our data-rich society is facing new and challenging problems sifting and interpreting an ever-growing body of information. More than ever before, governments, industry, and citizens need reliable statistical information to make better decisions, but the task of providing high-quality information when it is needed continues to grow in complexity.

The need for an informed society is one reason why the Canadian education system is developing curricula that emphasize the gathering, processing and presentation of data. However, before an information user can undertake such activities, it is important for them to have a sound understanding of the terms data, statistical information and statistics, as well as a means to evaluate their quality.