Quality of information

Quality of information

1. If your system is incorrect or of poor quality = poor quality, inaccurate information

2. Factors affecting

   • Accuracy
     • Innacurate data = innacurate information
       • Examples of innacurate data
         • Questions and surveys
           • Questions might be poorly worded so that users misunderstand them.
           •  Questions could be considered to be 'leading' which would result in biased answers.
           •  Open questions might be used where closed questions would have been better.
           • Options provided are not sufficient to cover the range of answers possible
           • A poor or unrepresentative population sample might be selected
           • Questions poorly worded = misunderstandment
           • "Leading questions" = biased answers
           • Choose opened or closed questions
           • Options provided are not sufficient to cover the range of answers possible
         • Human error
           • If humans are collecting the data manually e.g. recording answers to questionnaires, writing down instrument measurements, they might make a mistake.
           • They might also make a 'transcription error' when entering correctly collected data into the system.
           • Collecting the data manually = transcription error
         • Calibration of instruments
           • If data is being collected automatically by sensors or other instruments then the results could be inaccurate if the instruments were not correctly calibrated at the start of the data collection period
           • Data is collected AUTOMATICALLY by sensors or other instruments = RESULTS could be INACCURATE if the instruments were not CORRECTLY CALIBRATED
   • Relevance
     • Must be relevant to you (varies as the topic change)
       • Example: Weather forecasts:  Whilst it might be interesting to find out what the weather is like in Florida or Melbourne today, it isn't really relevant to your everyday life. It won't help you decide whether you need to take an umbrella with you before you leave home
   • Age
     • Useful = information needs to be up-to-date
       • many cases information changes over time and so old or out-of-date information can be misleading
         • Example: House prices:  Your parents are still thinking of selling their house. They need an idea of how much their house is worth right now. It would be no use to them being told by the estate agent how much their house was worth five years ago.
   • Completness
     • Complete information = useful
       • Missing parts of the info = will not be able to make use of it or make accurate decisions
         • Example: Weather forecast:  You still want to plan the family picnic for tomorrow. However when you check the weather forecast you are only told what the weather in the morning will be like. There is nothing about the afternoon. You can't really make a decision just based upon what the morning weather is likely to be.  
   • Presentation
     • Information which is presented in a DISORGANIZED WAY = LESS USFUL and Hard to understand
   • Level of Detail
     • Need the RIGHT AMOUNT OF DETAIL
       • not to much
         • difficult to extract the info
           • Ingredients: Not only telling you that you need flour, but telling you all of the different brands of flour and how the choice of each one would affect the rising of your cake.
       • not to little
         • lack of completness
           • Ingredients : Telling you that you need flour but not the quantity you will need to weigh out.