Introduction to Public Information

What I learned about Public Information is firstly about the law that is called Article
3 Section 7 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which states that: “The right of the people
to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized. Access to official records,
and to documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions, as well
as to government research data used as basis for policy development, shall be afforded the
citizen, subject to such limitations as may be provided by law.”
It describes the law briefly to pertain the access of information to the public such as
official records, and to documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or
decisions, as well as to government research data used as basis for policy development.
Such information is valid for the use of the public and their benefits. However, there are
some information that are confidential and should not be shared as it may contain
information that may be abused by the public if used or seen as only the authorized ones
have the right.
As we have the term Public Information, it literally means sharing information to
the public which are beneficial and safe to use as it is not against any law but approved by
the law. Public information systems are information systems available for public use. This
is a brief and simple definition, and it is relatively adequate. Interestingly, a somewhat
longer version of this definition has already been already in [Orman, 1989]. Orman defines
public information systems as “systems designed for use by the general public, rather than
specialists in a particular field or organization”. He identifies three generations of public
information systems: One is information packaging systems, which provide minimal
sharing, two is information retrieval systems, with provision for the sharing of data but not
of processes and three is information processing systems, which provide maximal sharing
of data and processes. The Public Information System is the one who serve the public in
order to provide information that is essential to them.
There are different types of Public Information System. First, it supports an
individual who perform a task such as by a public authority or institution. The task was
controlled by a citizen or a client Examples are customer task management systems and
case management systems. Second, it supports social processes involving citizens, public
authorities and et cetera. Examples are democratic processes and processes around
children's schooling. Third, it supports business task of public authorities and institutions.
Examples are police tasks, medical or social care tasks and agency task management
system. Fourth, it supports news media, the fourth estate and their systems for informing
the general public, scrutinizing power and advocating citizen interests. Lastly, it supports
other public information systems and infrastructural systems. Examples are information
systems updating and maintaining the databases and archives of public information
systems, systems coordinating agency task management and customer task management
and overcoming stovepipe organizations on the agency side.
There are three major Perspectives of Public Information Systems that I have
learned in class. First is the pragmatic perspective. It asked the question, why? What are the
public information systems for? What is their goal? What purpose why they were made?
Why people need them? Second is the semantic perspective. It asked the question, what?
What did they provide? What is included? What are the contents? Lastly, the third is the
syntactic perspective. It asked the question, how? How the public information systems were
made? How they were built? How are they constructed?
In Public Information System, there are categories that I have learned. The actors
involved are firstly, the private persons and households. They provide complete tasks,
participate in processes and they influence decisions. On the other hand, business
companies and other types of organizations, they provide services, complete tasks,
influence decisions and exploit business opportunities. Lastly, government agencies and
institutions on different level, they provide user-friendly services, complete cases, operate
efficiently and properly, follow the laws and cooperate with other authorities.
The Public Data is observed as an information that is made available to the public.
Issues of transparency, secrecy, and privacy in relation to computer-assisted information
systems — "the right to privacy versus the need to know”.
What I also learned in class are the Classification of MIS. Based on Anthony's
brand of Management, information that is used in commerce trade for decision-making is
generally categorized into three types. Strategic information is concerned with a house's
goal in terms of long-term policy decisions, as well as tests to see if these goals are being
reached to their full potential. Strategic information includes things like buying a new
factory, developing a new product, diversifying a supply chain, and so on. Tactical
information refers to the data required to manage business resources such as budgeting,
bracket control, improvement levels, stock levels, and productivity levels, among other
things. Lastly, Operational information deals with plant/business level data and is used to
ensure that certain operational duties are carried out as planned. This category includes
various operator-specific, machine-specific, and shift-specific jobs for quality authority
inspections.
Classification of MIS includes classification as per application. The information
used in business organizations to maintain specification norms and specifications is known
as planned information. Everything is mentioned in this section. This data is used in any
activity's strategic, tactical, and operational planning. Time standards and design standards
are examples of such information. Specific activities done by the system in order to achieve
its aims are referred to as control information. This information could be formal or casual in
nature. It's utilized to keep track of crucial procedures in a system's attainment, line, and
usage. When this data reveals a deviation from the defining norms, the system should
impose a decision or action directed at the authority in charge of the information.
"Information about information" is what knowledge information is defined as. Knowledge
is gathered from archive material and research projects, as well as via experience and
learning. Organizational information is concerned with the context in which the
organization's goals are achieved. The Organizational Information Theory of Karl Weick
emphasizes that a corporation decreases its uncertainty by properly collecting, managing,
and exploiting information. Employee and payroll information are examples of such
information that is used by everyone in the organization. Functional/Operational
Information is information that helps an organization perform its day-to-day operations.
Preserves mostly technical make-up, such as daily schedules in a manufacturing plant that
detailed the assignment of jobs to machines or operators to equipment. It would be the duty
roster of various personnel in a value-oriented business. The majority of this data is kept
within the company. Database information is a collection of related data that is stored,
retrieved, and managed in databases, as we all know. It keeps track of a large amount of
data with multiple owners and applications. For example, numerous users can access the
tangible substance that goes into the making of a physical product specification or supplier
information. It's a type of software application.
Humanistic, legal, psychological, social, political, and economic contributions are
all needed, as are those from informatics, technological, medical, mathematical, and
philosophical disciplines. Institutions doing public information system research should
make an effort to connect researchers and other professionals who are interested in the
method, nature, importance, and implications of public information system design. They
should provide platforms and arenas for collaborative work and debate among brilliant
researchers from many disciplines, researchers and practitioners, and people from other
cultures and sections of the world.