6 FIGURE 1.1 What is data and what is a data ecosystem? DATA is the collected facts and statistics that describe and record information. Data can be any factual information, such as words, numbers, measurements, observations, or descriptions, used for record-keeping, description, calculation, or analysis. Data matters because it provides the ability to comprehend, order, control, and communicate complex systems. Increasingly, data has been linked with electronic storage, retrieval, and analysis. DATA ECOSYSTEM is the data system or environment in which data is collected, stored, analysed, and used, as well as the underpinning governance framework. The term “data ecosystem” refers to each of the interconnected technical components of the data system (collection, storage, analysis, use, and governance), the relationship between the components, and sometimes the human interactions with the components. This paper considers the data ecosystem to include the evolving digital data solutions and human interactions with the data system, including Myanmar’s political landscape. DATA COLLECTION is the process of gathering and measuring data on targeted variables. The goal of data collection is the gathering of accurate data. DATA STORAGE is the recording of data in a medium. Data may be recorded in paper ledgers, but is increasingly recorded in a digital, machinereadable medium. DATA ANALYSIS & USE is the process of systematically reviewing, transforming, modeling, and interpreting data. The goal of data analysis and usage is to provide useful information and insights to strengthen understanding and inform decision-making. DATA GOVERNANCE comprises the people, policies, and processes that ensure data integrity, security, availability, and usability.