Indiana Jones and the Temple of Data
Two phrases that are commonly associated with data analysis are “data mining” and “data drilling”. As a New Year’s Resolution, I’ve decided to move away from those phrases. After all, “mining” and “drilling” are not exactly positive words these days (and for some reason, “analysis” tends to scare people). So, after much thought on the topic, I’ve decided that in 2011, the new buzz-phrase for data analysis is “Data Archaeology”. That’s right folks, you heard it here first! (And no, this has nothing to do with my personal fascination with ancient history).
Just like analysts, archaeologists have to rely on data so that they have an idea as to where to start digging. And once they start digging, they have to sift through what’s important to hold on to, and what can be put aside. Here’s a perfect example:
In November 1922, a relatively unknown archaeologist discovered the relatively small tomb of a relatively minor pharaoh. Doesn’t sound very promising, does it? Especially when you consider that all the previously discovered tombs had been robbed in antiquity and a well know archaeologist had already declared that there was nothing else to be found in the Valley of the Kings. But this archeologist had done his homework and his data showed that there was another tomb to be found. On November 26th, that archaeologist was able to make a hole in the tomb, just big enough to pass a lit candle through. He was asked if he could see anything. His response? “Yes. Wonderful things.” That archaeologist was Howard Carter and the tomb belonged to King Tutankhamun.
Archaeologists dig for valuable tombs and ruins. Non-profit data analysts dig for valuable donor segments.
Using data, archeologists can find new sites. Those sites then provide a wealth of data that can be overlaid onto existing sites. For example, since King Tut’s tomb is the only (mostly) undisturbed royal Egyptian tomb ever to be found, it provides archaeologists with data that can be applied to other royal tombs which had been robbed.
In October, I was able to cross off a personal bucket –list item by visiting the ancient site of Baalbeck while vacationing in Lebanon. Baalbeck is the site of the largest Roman temple complex in the world. As you can see by the picture below, it’s quite an impressive site.
From Ancient Lebanon: Monuments Past and Present by M.J. Strazzulla
But archaeologists can only do so much to put these sites back together. Every subsequent civilization uses pieces from the prior civilization, so putting these ancient ruins back to their full glory is simply not possible. This is where data from other finds can be applied and blanks can be filled. Below is the same temple, but with a data overlay.
From Ancient Lebanon: Monuments Past and Present by M.J. Strazzulla
It’s exactly the same concept for direct mail. Transactional data can give you a strong foundation as to who your donors are, but by overlaying that data with other information such as demographic or psychographic data you will have a much more complete picture. Transactional data will tell you who your best donors or customers are, but demographics will tell you where to find them.
With that, I hope 2011 brings happiness, good health, and great data archaeology!
See you next year!
