Recently NPR posted an article about a swarm of ladybugs showing up on radar system.  I found this story both highly amusing (that must be a LOT of ladybugs!) and an interesting look at how we interpret and use data.  The article mentions how the weather controllers saw the swarm show up and were rather confused since there weren’t any storms in the area that would make clouds.  Then they took a step that many folks do not - they verified the data.  Instead of just assuming that their equipment was showing them a freak storm, they called someone on the ground who could investigate and confirm what their equipment was showing them.  

Frequently when we’re presented with a report/data/etc we take it at face value and assume it is reflecting reality.  As that ladybug bloom shows us, that isn’t always the case. I regularly find myself stopping, stepping back, and seeing if I can prove to myself with the data what I am seeing.  Does it take extra time? Yes. Does it help me avoid coming to wrong conclusions? Definitely.