Data collectors go to great lengths to gather information. For some, those distances extend beyond earth's atmosphere. Oceanographer Gene Feldman gave us a sneak peak at how NASA uses satellites to measure the livelihood of microscopic plants in the ocean. The information that their satellite captures in single minute would require an entire decade for oceanographers to collect by boat.

We also spoke with Steve Klement of the U.S. Census Bureau. Steve told us about the complications of surveying and serving the same population-- as the census captures information about the public, for the public. While the bureau goes to great lengths to make information accurate and accessible for a general audience, there are also occasions where they need to suppress, or hide information to protect the privacy of businesses and individuals.

Meryn Robinson of Dimagi also spoke with us about privacy and the sensitivity of information-- particularly when it comes to metrics on health. Meryn is a senior research coordinator, and she helps train community health workers around the world to use Dimagi's data collection software, CommCare, on phones and tablets. While Meryn spends most of her days at an office in Cambridge, MA, she has co-workers who climb mountains for their daily collection efforts.

In addition to the full audio piece, we put together a few teasers to highlight moments from the episode. We enlisted Rachel, our in-house animator, to bring a few of our favorite audio clips to life.

Gene Feldman, an oceanographer at NASA, explaining how data collection instruments change once launched into space.

Meryn Robinson, a senior research coordinator at Dimagi, describing how her commute is different from that of a co-worker, who was training data clerks in Guatemala.

Tune in to Especially Big Data here or check out the links below: