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A short history of data

How the evolution of data over centuries has shaped today’s world.

We live in a world where data is everywhere – informing if not governing our lives. But this wealth of data didn’t just turn up overnight. Tim Harford talks to academics Chris Wiggins and Matthew Jones, whose new book How Data Happened aims to explain how the world we know today has been shaped by not just technological developments but battles around how emerging sources of data should be utilised.

Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Jon Bithrey
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot

(Data futuristic server room. Credit: Yuichiro Chino/Getty images)

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9 minutes

Last on

Sun 4 Jun 202323:50GMT
BBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa & BBC Afghan Radio

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Broadcasts

  • Sat 3 Jun 202304:50GMT
    BBC World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
  • Sat 3 Jun 202310:50GMT
    BBC World Service East and Southern Africa & Europe and the Middle East only
  • Sun 4 Jun 202308:50GMT
    BBC World Service West and Central Africa
  • Sun 4 Jun 202310:50GMT
    BBC World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
  • Sun 4 Jun 202322:50GMT
    BBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
  • Sun 4 Jun 202323:50GMT
    BBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa & BBC Afghan Radio

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