The Importance of Data Observability
Data observability is a process where data is made observable by humans or machines. In the case of housing benefits, data observability can detect errors that would otherwise go unnoticed. One recent example is the case of the Amsterdam city council, which lost EUR188 million due to an error in their housing benefits software. The error was caused by software that was programmed in cents rather than euros, resulting in overpayments to low-income families. In addition, the software was not designed to alert administrators of the error. In these cases, data observability can provide context to the issue and relevant…