Data, Information, Knowledge and Processing

Data
1. UNPROCESSED, RAW FACTS AND FIGURES THAT HAVE NO MEANING
2. Data are letters, characters, numbers, symbols, images, lights and sounds.
3. The data 020580 means nothing however when you give it detail (context, structure, meaning) it is no longer data
Information
1. When data gets meaning, it starts to become informative and therefore becomes information
2. Structure
  1. When data is presented in a certain way, it gains structure. E.G.210426 means nothing to us however if you give it the format of NN/NN/NNNN it becomes a date.
3. Context
  1. Numbers and letters that are presented in a structured way could still be interpreted in a different ways. Therefore they need to be put into context. E.G 21/04/26 and the context would be a european date.
4. Meaning
  1. Once meaning is added to the data, it becomes information which is useful for us. E.G. 21/04/26 which we know is the Queens birthday.
5. INFORMATION = DATA + STRUCTURE + CONTEXT + MEANING
Methods to convey information
1. Text
  1. ADVANTAGES: Explanations can be given, the meaning is clear and explicit
  2. DISADVANTAGES: There may be language barriers, blind people cannot read the text therefore would not be efficient
2. Pictures
  1. ADVANTAGES: Worth a thousand words, anybody can interpret them due to no language barriers
  2. DISADVANTAGES: Some pictures can be ambiguous therefore confusing, images on their own cannot give an explanation
3. Sound
  1. ADVANTAGES: Can be used to grab the audiences attention therefore you do not have to rely on just image
  2. DISADVANTAGES: It could be difficult to hear in a noisy environment
4. Video
  1. ADVANTAGES: Can include both video and sound therefore you are given an explanation, a moving image can explain exactly how something works
  2. DISADVANTAGES: Time consuming to produce, if it's a noisy environment then it will be hard to understand what is being spoken about
5. Animation
  1. ADVANTAGES: Can convey meaning effectively through the use of captions along with images
  2. DISADVANTAGES: Only shows certain frames therefore some information could be lost
6. LED (Light emitting diodes)
  1. DISADVANTAGES: You can only see LEDs if you are relatively close to them
  2. ADVANTAGES: LEDs take up very little space
Data Types
1. Boolean
  1. Boolean data can only have two values. These values are true/false, yes/no, male/female etc
2. Real
  1. Real numbers include decimal places and fractions
3. Integer
  1. Integers are whole numbers. There are never decimal places or fractions in an integer
4. String
  1. A string of data is a set or list of letters, numbers, symbols or characters
5. Date/Time
  1. Any dates/times can be stored using this format. This allows dates and times to be sorted into a logical order. If they were stored as numbers, then they could not be sorted properly
Different sources where data can be derived
1. DIRECT SOURCE OF DATA: If data is used for the same purpose that it was collected for, it is direct
  1. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHERE THE DATA WAS COLLECTED FROM, IT'S ABOUT THE REASON THAT IT WAS COLLECTED
  2. ADVANTAGES: The data collected is the data that is needed
  3. DISADVANTAGES: It can be costly to collect original data
2. INDIRECT SOURCE OF DATA: If data is used for a different purpose than it was collected for then the source is indirect
  1. ADVANTAGES: There is no need to wait for the data to be collected
  2. DISADVANTAGES: The data may not meet all of the needs for the new purpose of use
Static and Dynamic data
1. Static data does not change.
  1. Static data will have been produced at a particular time on a certain date and it is then permanent.. For example CDs, DVD, books, magazines
2. Dynamic data can change
  1. It is data that is stored in an electronic format and will change as circumstances change. This could be data stored on a network or on the internet for example.

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Data, Information, Knowledge and Processing

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	Created by deanna_ellis10 almost 11 years ago