I am reminded of this Peanuts cartoon. Linus tells Lucy not to count the snowflakes for he already knows the answer. (We can argue that maybe Linus is a seasoned researcher, but I’m sure he was outside earlier doing what Lucy was doing.)
And what is counting, but simply putting a sequence such as “1, 2, 3,…”. I could type any number on a keyboard and generate data. When we look at data, sometimes we can get so absorbed in knowing a number that we forget why knowing a number matters. What benefit is it for Linus or Lucy to know the numbers of snowflakes? No one measures a single snowflake, but rather snowflakes, as the aggregate matters. For example, one snowflake weighs nothing, but too many can collapse a roof.
There remains a need to count and observe the world, and I am guilty of looking for data when I do research. So, statistical and data approaches are warranted to make sure we have sound information to make a decision. While it is easy to measure snowflakes or other actions, sometimes transportation and economic data is not as clearly observed. Understanding what is needed to be known helps us see the world before we go outside to count snowflakes.