"In a world drowning in numbers and yet thirsty for facts and trustworthy information, Number Savvy provides a rich history of how numbers came to be and how they have transformed how we view the world and conduct socio-economic research. As individuals and organizations come to terms with unprecedented and accelerating volumes and sources of data, George Sciadas masterfully illustrates the pivotal role of standards, definitions and taxonomies in transforming data into hard facts-the craft of the statistician and an essential skill for anyone with aspirations to thrive in a digital world." - Anil Arora, Chief Statistician of Canada, Statistics Canada/Government of Canada.
"In a world where data is seen as the new oil of the economic system, Number Savvy: From the Invention of Numbers to the Future of Data could not be timelier. The book argues strongly for clear data standards and survey frames to measure socio-economic phenomenon adequately and provides a clear account of the challenges and benefits of the statisticians apparatus, including the extensive uses of administrative data and more recently Big data. Number Savvy is a must for all those of us working with data and for the analyst, researchers and policy makers interested in getting the most of data using proper data sources and the powerful toolkits of statisticians." - Louis Marc Ducharme, Former IMF Chief Statistician, Chief Data Officer, and Director of the Statistics Department.
"Number Savvy runs the gamut from a comprehensive description of how individual numerical systems evolved to a detailed analysis of the minutiae of aggregate data. It peels back the layers of how data are gathered, how they are aggregated, and how they are used - and misused. It explains how datas grains of sand bind together to make a beach of usable data, and how changing tides will affect the future nature of that beach. Among numerous perceptive comments is a neat summary of one of the books many lessons: 'Again, the key thing here is not the correctness of the published numbers per se, but their true meaning.'. Number Savvy gives you that 'true meaning'." -Paul T. Dickinson, Department of Economics, McGill University.
"In our days, so many people are dealing with numbers in their professional and social life. But how many do they really know them, their origin and history, their mystery and charm, their connection and role to almost all human activities, glorious and humble? George definitely does it and generously shares all these gems with his potential vast audience in a wonderful and revealing journey in the Cosmos of numbers from the origin of measure to the future of data. Number Savvy will be a great resource for students of data and data practitioners but it will also fuel the curiosity of the popular science lovers." - George Petrakos, Professor of Quantitative Methods, Panteion University.
"We live in a world where data are ubiquitous, yet the cloak innumeracy is worn as a sign of pride by many. This leads to outcomes where any number, despite its provenance, can be picked up, spun to fit a specific narrative, and then sold as fact. In this environment, Number Savvy makes an important contribution by shedding light on how numbers work. By walking us through the use of numbers, from their origin to their use today, George Sciadas provides data users with the tools to pull actionable information from the chaff. In so doing, it also touches on emerging issues around non-traditional data sources, big data and data stewardship. This book is useful not only to policy makers, thought leaders, market researchers and official statisticians, but to anyone that that wants to be better equipped to critically evaluate statistics." - Greg Peterson, Former Assistant Chief Statistician, Statistics Canada.
"Summarising, the book is a non-technical overview about numbers that may help readers think critically about how data have contributed to human development. In my opinion, it may be an intriguing read especially to people working with official statistics or who are interested in the use of data in our society."
Fabrizion Durante, Universitą del Salento, International Statistical Review, 2023
