Q 4:- What are the Application Areas of Information Technology?

Applications of Information Technology

Every day, people use computers in new ways. Computers and other electronic devices
are becoming increasingly affordable. They continue to be more powerful as information-
processing tools as well as easier to use. Humans are continually becoming dependant on
IT-enabled devices for carrying out simple tasks like remembering a phone number to
complex ones like flying a fighter plane. Information Technology has applications in
almost all aspects of our life. Some of the important ones are:

One of the main advantages of information technology in business is the ability for
companies throughout many different industries to advertise their products and services
via the Internet. Almost every website contains advertisements surrounding the site's
primary content. Often these sites feature links from which, with a single click of a
mouse or tap on a touch screen, people can find information about the company whose
ad they have clicked on.

Online Shopping and Money Transfers

Online shopping, bill payments and funds transfers are also key examples of
information technology in business. By allowing consumers to access products and
services from any computer, phone or tablet from home or on the go, companies have
made it easier than ever for people to move money. Shopping online has become so
prominent that most major retailers have online stores to accommodate shoppers.
Consumers can buy virtually anything online from appliances to music. Funds transfers
allow investors to track their investments or manage the accounts of their clients much
more quickly.

Global Communication

One of the most powerful business tools that technology was provided is the ability to
communicate worldwide almost without restrictions. Video chat apps such as Skype
have greatly increased the efficiency of conference calls by allowing meetings to be
conducted internationally from computers or mobile devices. E-mails and file sharing
services allow documents to be transported instantly across an ocean. Smart phones
enable business associates to communicate even while in transit.

Flexible Work Options

The development of laptops, smartphones and tablets has allowed anyone to work from
anywhere. As technology enables us to make powerful computers smaller, we become
free to travel or even exercise while still monitoring our businesses. People now have
much greater opportunities to work from home, allowing daycare costs to be eliminated.
Travel, once an unfortunate but unavoidable interruption to the flow of work, now
affords business professionals with an opportunity to catch up on aspects of their
business while on an airplane or commuter train. Information can now be sent or
received from practically anywhere and at remarkable speed.

Physical and Online Data Storage

Whereas once every company had to maintain enormous stockpiles of paper documents,
IT's application in business has helped modern companies minimize the amount of files
they must warehouse. Hard drives are capable of storing terabytes of data and occupy
very little physical space. Cloud storage services like Drop box, Google Drive and One
Drive can now replace physical storage devices completely since businesses can access
their files through a web browser or app on a computer or mobile device. Transferring
data is also easier due to e-mail, USB thumb drives and cloud storage services.

Science and Engineering: Scientific progress in fields like biotechnology is almost

entirely dependent on the use of computers and other microprocessor-controlled devices.
Using supercomputers, meteorologists predict future weather by using a combination of
observations of weather conditions from many sources, a mathematical representation of
the behavior of the atmosphere, and geographic data. Computer-aided design (CAD) and
computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programs have led to improved products in many
fields, especially where designs tend to be very detailed. Computer programs make it
possible for engineers to analyze designs of complex structures such as power plants and
space stations.
Business & Commerce: One of the first and largest applications of computers is keeping
and managing business and financial records. Most large companies keep the
employment records of all their workers in large databases that are managed by computer
programs. Similar programs and databases are used in business functions like billing
customers; tracking payments received and payments to be made; and tracking supplies
needed and items produced, stored, shipped, and sold. In fact, practically all the
information companies need to do business involves the use of computers and
Information Technology. Almost all the financial transactions in the world are done
electronically. Newer technologies like m-commerce have enabled almost everybody to
carry out routine financial transactions on the move.
.Education: The advent of Information Technology has changed the meaning of the term
“literate”, with computer literacy being almost as important as basic literacy in many
cases. Computer education is an essential course at the primary level in most schools
across the world. With more information getting digitized every day, and the internet
making it accessible to anyone across the world, students are increasingly relying on
electronic sources of information rather than physical libraries for their needs.
Instructional methodology has also undergone a sea change with use of images,
animations, videos, presentations and e-learning to complement traditional techniques.
 Governance: The concept of e-governance is one of the most novel applications of
Information Technology whereby it is changing the lives of millions across the globe.
Computerization of Government activities makes it easier to supervise and audit, and
makes the administration more responsive to the needs of society. It also bridges the
divide between the Government and the people. Technologies like touch-screen kiosks
help disseminate information on land records, photo identity cards, pending bills etc. and
enable even illiterate people to take more informed decisions. India is leading the world
in the effective use of IT for elections.
Medicine: Information Technology plays an important role in medicine. For example, a
scanner takes a series of pictures of the body by means of computerized axial tomography
(CAT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A computer then combines the pictures to
produce detailed three-dimensional images of the body's organs. In addition, the MRI
produces images that show changes in body chemistry and blood flow. Most critical life
support equipment are programmed to respond to changes in the patient’s status in split-
seconds, thereby reducing the response time and risk of human error. Newer concepts
like robotic surgery enable specialists to perform surgeries from remote locations.
Genomic studies greatly depend on supercomputing power to develop technologies for
the future.
Entertainment: IT has changed the lifestyle of most people. The convergence of various
technologies has created various options for entertainment like games, streaming music
and video, digital television broadcasts, satellite radio, animated movies etc. which can be
accessed with the help of mobile phones, PDAs, notebook computers or on television
either with a cable connection or wirelessly using newer-generation WiFi, CDMA or
GPRS technologies.

The use of ICT in healthcare can be categorized into 4 main streams such as;
 Health & Education
 Hospital Management System
 Health Research
 Health Data Management
In this Digital era, people can easily seek access, learn & communicate with others within
a quick span of time. This makes education accessible, available and open to all. Health
education creates awareness among the public about the communicable diseases, health
status, prevention measures and various current diagnostic & therapeutic procedures. This
gives a freedom to the people to choose the best hospitals and doctors to approach for
treatment and to have their life in a healthy way.
ICT helps the Hospital management to lead the organization in a successful way. This
helps the management to overcome the challenges faced by the Hospital. ICT helps the
management to improve the patient safety and satisfaction, get updated to the latest
technology, have knowledge on population health & statistics and keep a note on the
government mandates on track. Primarily, the workplace can be strengthened.
ICT in healthcare research helps in finding the possible prevention measures to eradicate
and reduce the spread of diseases. We can find new technology in diagnosis which
reduces the time and cost. This saves the lives of many individuals by providing
treatment in advance. Through ICT, the traditional healthcare systems can be eliminated
and new models can be formed for effective quality care.
The fundamental use of ICT in Hospital is for electronic storage of medical data. This
helps to retrieve the information easily. Through ICT the data can be transferred to the
patient or to the Doctors for consultation. The patient can have medical records in hand
which can be used anywhere, anytime.
Information & Communication Technology offers various ways to improvise the
Healthcare system. The healthcare field has to use ICT more intelligently to bring in
more changes and elevate the healthcare to a much higher level which is important for the
country’s development.
The Expert ICT based machines used to diagnose the disease are:-
 Computerized axial tomography machine (CAT):- It represents 3D images.
 Magnetic Response Imaging Machine (MRI):-It produces digital impression
internal organs of the body by using radio waves.
 Electrocardiogram Machine (EEG): - It is used to monitor the heartbeat.
 Cardiac Screening Machine: - It displays the physiology of heart and displays the
movements inside heart.
 Electro Encephalography: - It is used to record the activities of brain.
 Blood Sugar Testing Machine: - Determines the blood glucose level in the body.
 BP Machine: - It measures the blood pressure in a body of a person.

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