The document discusses asking questions of data from simple searches to advanced queries. It provides examples of different types of questions that can be asked of data, from basic searches to more complex queries using tools like regular expressions. The examples focus on querying election data to answer questions about candidates, parties, and wards. The document emphasizes that as discovery environments and data change, we must adapt how we ask questions and derive information.

1. Asking questions
of data:
from simple search
to advanced queries
Tony Hirst
Computing and Communications Dept,
The Open University, UK
blog.ouseful.info / @psychemedia

2. Time was
when…

5. Search and
replace

6. Advanced
search and
replace

8. Regular
expressions

9. How do we
discover or recover
information from
data?

10. A medical librarian is
probably not a expert on
zoonotic H5H1 influenza
infections…

11. How do we cope
with new discovery
regimes and
environments?

12. “DIY Dreamcatcher”, via flickr user: barbroandersen

13. “DIY Dreamcatcher”, via flickr user: barbroandersen

14. Friends of my friends who are librarians

15. People who live in Bath and like the Future
of Libraries

16. When the
databases really
are databases..?

17. USERS
QUERY
INFORMATION

18. DATA
USERS
QUERIES
INFORMATION

19. An example –
questions around
local elections

20. Which wards in my local
council area were not
contested by Conservative
affiliated candidates?

23. Can I get a
list of all the
candidates?

25. Can I get a list of
people standing in
wards in Newport
who live out of
ward?

26. SELECT * FROM candidates WHERE
ward LIKE 'Newport%' AND address
NOT LIKE '%Newport%'

27. How many
candidates did
each party field?

28. SELECT desc AS Party, COUNT(desc) AS
Number FROM candidates GROUP BY
Party ORDER BY Number DESC

29. Which wards were not
contested by Conservative
affiliated candidates?

30. SELECT DISTINCT ward from Candidates WHERE ward
NOT IN (SELECT DISTINCT ward FROM Candidates
WHERE desc LIKE '%Conservative%’)

34. Which candidates
were signatories in to
other proposals?

42. Time is
now…

43. @psychemedia
blog.ouseful.info