Editorial: There Is No Such Thing as Data, There Are Only Model Outputs

I have sometimes been asked, “Instead of using models, why not just look at the data?” The underlying assumption here is that data are the starting point and models follow on. This is a profoundly wrong assumption. Data are not objective reality. They are perceptions based on models. Interpretations are also based on preconceived models. We as humans are innate modelers, and we are always using models to determine and understand the data we gather from our world.