Introduction to Information

Communication Technology
By: Gemechu T.(Bsc)

Chapter One
An Overview
of
IT and Data Processing
Overview
Data
Information
IT
ICT
Data processing
Information processing

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 Data
 Data is the factual material used as a basis for discussion
or decision, calculating or measuring. Data alone tells no
story.
 It is raw facts, figures, and observations about physical
phenomena or business transactions.
 Data is often meaningless. For example it might be:
 Your ID number
 The date e.g. 25th February 1999
 The number of students in a given college…
 Information
• Information can be defined as the collection of meaningful
facts and figures that can be used as a base for guidance and
decision making.
• Information is data that has been rearranged, processed,
organized into a form perceived as useful by the recipient.
• Since data is a row material, in order to get information we
must combine, add to or process data in some way to make it
meaningful or to change it to information.
• For instance, the red traffic light is a form of data, the meaning
we attach to this data (i.e. STOP) is the information.
Characteristics of valuable information
For decision to be meaningful and useful the information must
fulfill the following attributes shown bellow.
 Accuracy
 Relevant
 Flexibility
 Completeness
 Timely
Technology: refers to all the means people use their inventions
and discoveries to satisfy their need and desires. It is the
application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.
 What is IT?
Information technology is defined as once ability, knowledge,
understanding, and skill of using information and
communications properly.
IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer
software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit and retrieve
information, securely.
It is the use of modern technology to aid the capture, processing,
storage and retrieval and communication of information whether
in the form of numeral data, text, sound or image.
It is the study of information handling and its use in sacristy by
means of modern technology (i.e. do not include the traditional
method information handling such as paper and pencil).
 Component of IT
While dealing with the concepts of IT there are three
components that we should have know in order to use the
concept of IT effectively and productively.
These are:
 Computer
 Communications networks, and
 Know-how
The ways in which these elements are combined determine the
organizations to be productive, effective and successful.
 Computers
Computer is electronic machine that performs tasks, such as
calculations or electronic communication, under the control of
an internally stored set of instructions called as program.
Programs usually reside within the computer primary memory
and are retrieved and processed by the computer electronically.
The program results are stored or routed to output devices,
such as video display monitors or printers. Computers perform
a wide variety of activities reliably, accurately, and quickly.
 Communications Network
An integral part of IT is the ability to communicate to send and
receive data and information over a communication network.
A communications network is an interconnection of stations
(or devices) at different locations through a medium that
enables people to send and receive data and information and to
share resources.
Telephone wires and cables are common communication
media.
Data communication is the transmission of data and
information over a communications medium.
 Know-how
Other critical part of IT is the ability to draw on the power of
IT to solve problems and to take advantages of the
opportunities it creates offered by IT.
Therefore IT require or implies know-how, knowing how to do
something well.
Know-how includes:
 Familiarity with the tools of IT
 The skills needed to use these tools
 Understanding when to use IT to solve a problem etc.
 What is ICT?
ICT can be defined as the use of electronic devices and
telecommunication network for creating, storing, processing,
sending, and receiving information.
It is the combination of Informatics technology with other, related
technologies, specifically communication technology.
Information and Communications Technology - or technologies
(ICT) is an umbrella term that includes all technologies for the
manipulation and communication of information.
Technology for broadcasting information - radio, television; and
technology for communicating through voice and sound or images
- microphone, camera, loudspeaker, telephone to cellular phones.
 Data processing
Data processing is the manipulation and transformation of data
in to more meaningful form (or information). It is the process of
converting data in to information.

Data (input) processing Output (Information)

Processing may include:-Calculating, Sorting, Summarizing,

Merging etc.
Therefore in general:
Information is data that has been processed in such a way as to
be meaningful to the person who receives it.
 Data processing life cycle
Data processing life cycle shows the steps involved while processing data
in to information. Information processing (manual or computerized)
requires
1. Input data
2. Processing
3. Output and
4. Storage and retrieval
The figure below shows the information processing cycle.
  
Input Processing Output
 
 
 
Storage
 Input
Input is the data given to the system in order to be processed
Activities include:-
Collecting & recording data: in hard copy or soft copy form.
 Classifying & coding input data: - the task of identify one
kind of data & distinguishing it one from the other kind by
means of code number or letter (alphanumeric system) to
speeds up processing.
 Process
Processing includes different operations which are used to
convert the input data to information.
The operations include:-
 Calculating operations:- arithmetic or logical operations
 Summarizing:- reducing the volume of data
 Sorting: - putting in a definite order (either in ascending or
descending)
 Merging: - combining a data.
 Storing and retrieving
Storing: - saving data for future use.
Retrieving - searching for & finding data which resides in the
storage device.
 Output
Output is the final result of data processing.
 Output is the information that we get after the data is
processed.
 Output can be in different format, this include:- Hard copy-
printed form Soft copy-(magnetic form), Audio format, Visual
format.
Manual Vs Automated Information Processing
Information processing can be either manual or computerized
(automated).
Manual information processing is processing of information
using paper, pencil, and brain.
Automated information processing is processing of
information with the help of computers this means that when
the above cycles are done with the help of computers.
This is much more flexible than the manual one and a lot
faster.
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