That may be true, but my question was...how EXACTLY would you use that data to make a business decision?
The point I was trying to make is....
Google devalues a tremendous amount of links based on spaminess and other factors. PA and DA were not fully aligned with PR previously. They did offer insight into a site's backlinks but we accepted it could differ from Google based on various factors such as:
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Linkscape does not crawl as deeply or as fast as Google
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OSE also cannot differentiate between a "good" link and a bad one.
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OSE also cannot differentiate between a sidebar link, a footer link and an in-content link
Please don't get me wrong. I like OSE and use it daily. I often see SEOs and site owners trying to use PA or DA in a manner that, in my opinion, it is not effective. I use PA and DA as an indicator, not the determining factor.
For example, I may see a new site which is well designed, has fantastic content and a passionate owner. I know this site will grow over time and would gladly pursue a link from it. On the other hand, I may see a site with great PA and DA, but it is not ranking well due to Panda issues. Clearly these issues affect the value of any links received.
There are many other examples I can share but the point is, you can use the PA and DA as-is and gain value from them. Penguin is undergoing a major update which will likely further change the link landscape. There is so much volatility related to links right now it is hard for a software company to invest money devising a link measurement system which will likely need to undergo a major change before it is published. My two cents.