Interpretation and visualisation of data from dairy herds

Vets often use key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the actual performance status of a dairy herd. Basic knowledge of data analysis is necessary to interpret these KPIs correctly, but unfortunately vets often lack the training and knowledge required to do this. This article aims to make vets aware of common data interpretation errors and discusses four data misinterpretation pitfalls – variation, momentum, lag and bias – as well as introduces the concept of data visualisation, such as the use of graphs and charts, to help vets avoid these pitfalls.