Knowledge, Information

and Data

AIMS
:
To understand the distinction between knowledge,
information and data.
To understand that data can arise from direct capture, or
as a by-product of another operation.
To describe the effect of the quality of the data source on
the information produced.
To understand the need to encode information as data.
To understand the problems associated with the coding
of value judgements.
Understand that information is a commodity and as such
can have a monetary value, the level of which depends
on its accuracy, its potential use and its particular
intended use.
Describe the overheads involved in ensuring that
information is up-to-date.

Knowledge, Information and

Data
Data:
Raw values relating to facts, events or
transactions.

Information:
Processed data.
Data which has meaning and context.

Knowledge:
The use of information in context, to make
decisions.

KNOWLEDGE OR EXPERT
SYSTEMS

Computers use human knowledge to

solve problems
knowledge as data or rules within the
computer

Encoding of information
It is often necessary to encode information as
data.
Reasons for Encoding.
This can lead to problems.

Quality of Data
The

quality of the data source affects

the information produced.
Accurate
Up-to-date
Complete

VALUED JUDGEMENTS
What is a valued judgement?

Loss of precision due to

coding value judgements.
A hotel asked customers to score their
service in the hotel according to this system:
1-Excellent, 2-Good, 3-Average, 4-Bad, 5-Poor
The average mark from 100 customers was 1.8.
Are these statements true?
All our customers think our service is good or
better.
Our average score is good to excellent.
Our customers think we are consistently good.

Think of 2 reasons why this is not always a

reliable way of storing information.

Input, Process, Output

INPUT

PROCESS

FEEDBACK

OUTPUT

Data Capture
Data can arise from different sources:
Direct:

Indirect:
Amazon

Date-stamping of information
Information may be out-of-date by the time
it has been processed.
Ensuring data is up-to-date can be timeconsuming and costly.

Classification of information
Source
Nature
Level
Time
Frequency
Use
Form
Type

Problem
A school is planning the introduction of a
computer-based attendance system for
classes and registration groups. The
purpose of the system is to produce
information for the following end-users:

Class teachers
Pastoral managers (tutors/heads of year)
Senior managers (e.g. deputy head)

For each of the different end-users

describe, with the aid of an example,

information that the system might
produce in relation to their requirements.

Case Study
Collecting Information
Or, Nightmare scheme
(Pg 36-37)

Exam Question
1. Describe briefly what is meant by
data, information and knowledge,
giving examples of each. (6)
2. Describe three ways in which data can
be or can become, of poor quality.
(3)

Exam Question
Travelling sales representatives working
in the UK can make extensive use of
company credit cards to pay for goods
and services. A company credit card is
one that is issued by a company to its
representative. All charges and
information relating to each transaction
are sent directly to the company.
List 4 items of data which are captured
each time the card is used. (4)
Other than payment information, suggest
one other potential use for information
which can be derived from this data. (2)

Exam Question
Many market research firms use
questionnaires as a means of gathering
raw data for companies about the
popularity of their products.
Explain why IT is widely used in market
research. (4)
Once the data has been collected, it can
be used to give the clients information
about their products. Explain the
difference between information and data in
this context. (4)