Anyone know what this data string is?

[eluser]Thorpe Obazee[/eluser]
[quote author="TechCadre" date="1273024886"]I'm looking to find out what this string of code means. It was found in a .php page in the controllers.

Code:

$data['section'] = "AboutUs";

[/quote]

In tutorials, the $data variable is mostly used when passing information in the view file. A little bit more code could reveal what's really happening.