S10: Data & Information

S10: Data & Information

1. Data

   • A set of recorded facts, numbers or events that have no meaning
   • Types of data:
     • Text/Alphanumeric
       • Data is text, numbers or a mixture of both
     • Numeric
       • Numbers exist that may be part of a calculation
     • Boolean
       • Byte sized, where theyres only two possible states for the data. E.g. True/False
   • Data capture is the collection of data to enter into a computer
     • Direct - collection of data for a specific purpose
       • Bar Code Reader
       • MICR
       • OMR
       • OCR
       • Sensors
     • Indirect - collection of data as a by-product from another purpose
       • E.g. using the data collected from reading bar codes at a supermarket till to work out stock levels
   • Encoding Data
     • Used by computers to convert the data into machine readable form - Binary
       • Computers understand binary, but this is difficult for humans to understand
         • A way of encoding text is by using ASCII to represent each character as a binary number
           • American Standard Code for Information Exchange - a standard that converts binary to character output
       • 1 Binary = 1 Byte = 8 Bits (Binary Digit)
   • Coding Data
     • Changing original data into a shortened version by assigning a code
       • E.g. M/F = Male/Female
     • Data is coded to reduce data entry and reduce the need for storage space

2. Data Processing

   • Required to enable information to be produced from data
   • Calculations
   • Image Manipulation
   • Logical Processing
   • Audio/Visual (AV) Processing

3. Factors affecting the quality of Information

   • Relevant
     • Should be concise and not wasting storage space
     • Information is only valuable to someone who has a use for it, and its value will also depend on that potential use
   • Accurate
     • Through error checking must take place & regular updates must take place to ensure that information is as accurate as possible
   • Up to date
     • Some information only has value within a specific time scale
     • If information is out of date, wrong decisions could be made
     • Reports should contain dates and possibly times
   • Complete
     • Loses value if incomplete
     • It needs to have all of the essential details needed for the task
   • Understandable

4. Information is Obtained when data has been processed to give it context & meaning to the user