2-10 Data & Informatoin

1. Data & Information

ICT systems input data which is processed to convert it to information.

For example:

In some systems data is fed back into the system and modifying it till a desired output is reached. A Good It system will present each person with information that is useful to them in a form that makes it easy to use.

What is data?
Data represents raw facts and figures, for example: 2,3,4,5,6

Types of data.
Data can be in formats such as text and numbers, sound or images. Regardless of the data being imputed the computer processes this data into something called binary, like its very own language. This language consists of 0's & 1's, A single unit in binary is called a 'bit', the term used for a binary digit.

A computers memory is measured in bytes, 1 byte equates to 8 bits, An example of this would be the letter A this is represented in binary form as 01000001, and the letter B would be represented as 01000010.

2. Coding & Encoding

Some data has to be changed before it can be stored, therefore changing it from the original and shortening it into code. Coding is used to save space but it also speeds up data entry. A common example is substituting the word Male or Female for M or F.

Encoding is the computers was of converting data so it can be read by the machine. All computers run off binary, 1's & 0's, however this is very difficult for humans to understand. One way that encoding is used it the form of ASCII which can represent each character in a binary equivalent.

The table below shows a worked example of this:

Other examples of coding & encoding would be Bar codes & ISBN codes for books.