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AS level Information Communication Technology - Unit 1

Knowledge, Information and Data

Computers are automatic data processors.

Information technology means collection, storage, processing and dissemination (distribution) of information using computers.

What is the difference between information and raw facts?

Organised facts and figures are information. Often information and data are regarded as the same. They are not the same; information must have a context, which makes it understandable. Knowledge is knowing how to use information to make decisions.

For example: 12, 16, 15, 13, has no content. It is data.

The price of 100 widgets as follows:

Company A	£12.00
Company B	£16.00
Company C	£15.00
Company D	£13.00

this data has a context. It is information.

Deciding to order widgets from Company A because they are the cheapest is using the information to make a decision. It is knowledge.

Information is important. Without information we have no knowledge, so we cannot make decisions. Computers have enabled us to store and process more data.

Data is derived from different sources. It can be input directly and indirectly - a computer reading a bar code in a supermarket, account details being read directly from the magnetic strip on a credit card, a computer automatically reading the numbers on the bottom of a cheque and information being down-loaded into a computer - are all examples of deriving data directly.

Further examples

"Information" is "data" that has been processed. Data is raw facts and figures, whereas Information is data that has been processed and given a context.

For example, a red traffic light is data. The meaning that we attach to this data is "Stop". When you drive up to a red light and stop, you do so because your brain sees the data and process it.

Knowledge is an understanding of "rules". For example, "smoking can cause cancer", "revising hard means you stand a better chance of passing exams", "run and you will get there faster".

A "knowledge worker" is someone who is employed because they understand rules related to a particular task. For example, a doctor has an understanding of the rules of medicine, a lawyer understands the law.

Sources of Data:

There are direct and indirect sources of data.

An indirect source is where data is used for a purpose other than that for which it was originally collected

Examples:

A "clocking on" system records who was at work and at what times. This data is used to generate information e.g. wage slips, staff attendance records and so on. This is the primary purpose for which the data is collected, therefore, it is a direct source of data.
A library might have an IT system, which collects data about which books are taken out, when and by whom. This is the primary purpose for which the data is collected.
When a credit card is scanned at a POS (point of sale) terminal, data is collected about the card number, the amount, the place of purchase, the till number and so on. This is the primary purpose for which the data is collected (this data is necessary to process the transaction). However, there are also secondary purposes for collecting records of credit card purchases. Can you think what these might be?

A VDU operator taking data from a piece of paper and typing it into a database is an example of data being entered indirectly. Indirect entry is more likely to lead to mistakes, due to human error.

We need to make sure that the information used is reliable, accurate, up-to-date and precise. the information must also be comprehensible (understood by the recipient). We must try to avoid inconsistent, misleading or incomprehensible information.

If information is entered incorrectly then the information output will be incorrect, this is referred to as GIGO - Garbage In, Garbage Out.

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