Consider the following definitions
when the information was collected by the investigator herself or himself with a definite objective in her or his mind, the data obtained is called primary data.
When the information was gathered from a source which already had the information stored, the data obtained is called secondary data. Eg: Collecting population of all countries in the world.
Raw data (sometimes called source data or atomic data) is data that has not been processed for use.
Raw data, also known as primary data, is data (e.g., numbers, instrument readings, figures, etc.) collected from a source.
From the first two definitions it is obvious to observe that a raw data can be primary or secondary. Raw data may not be a primary data necessarily, it can be secondary data also. But definition three is not obeying that saying raw data is also called as primary data.
Are the terms primary data, raw data technical or for normal use without fixed definitions? If technical, then what are the actual definitions?
I have no problem with Definition no 1. The definition of raw data that is the closest to the what I would describe it as is #2, and I would never call it primary data. Raw data can be processed thru digitization, and transmitted thru different systems, but as long as the content, or sometimes metadata, is not transformed in any way it is still considered raw data.