Go inside the switching stations of service providers like Bell Atlantic, and you'll see a hybrid of boxes, some meant for clear and reliable voice traffic and some for uncertain but superfast data flows.

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And it isn't even clear just how uncertain many of the data are.

WSJ: Spreadsheet Slips Not Economists' Only Problem

Data of uncertain value today may represent a records, analysis or intermediate work product that can provide important insight in the future.

FORBES: Keep Your Data Forever: Three Tips For Smarter Storage

His economic deputy, Charlie Bean, also told us, in no uncertain terms, that the employment data had also left the Bank entirely flummoxed.

BBC: No gold medals for the UK economy

"With limited data, human health risks are uncertain, states may design incorrect or ineffective emission control strategies, and EPA's decisions about regulating industry may be misinformed, " Elkins said.

NPR: Report: Flaws In EPA Drilling Pollution Data

If you cannot explain why the inefficiency exists then you are likely just data mining and exposing your portfolio to unintended risks with uncertain outcomes.

FORBES: Get Ready For A Turbo Charged January Effect

Job security and prospects for income growth are often uncertain, so your attitude and confidence may be as important as objective facts or data.

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Yet the truth is: these two trends, one from the world of analytics, the other from the world of innovation and change, can be Big Data: water wordscape powerfully combined to drive sustainable success in a highly uncertain world.

FORBES: Big Data, Small Bets

With an uncertain economy analysts can be fallible and make unsound increments and decrements based on the most minutia of data.

FORBES: Investors Don't Care About Analysts' Earnings Estimates

Consumers seem to be turning a shoulder to negative data as well, as reports that attempt to gauge consumer sentiment inch up amid an uncertain atmosphere.

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