Information Management (Module 1)

• Information System:

  • A set of interrelated components that collect, manipulate, store data and disseminate information
  • Provides a feedback mechanism to monitor performance
  • An organized combination of people, hardware, software, communications networks, and data resources that collects data, transforms it, and disseminates information
• Data:

  • Facts concerning objects and events that could be recorded and stored on computer media
  • Examples include customer name, address, and telephone number
  • Structured data: numbers, text, dates
  • Unstructured data: images, video, documents
  • Data are stored representations of objects and events that have meaning and importance in the user's environment
• Data vs Information:

  • Data are plain facts
  • When data are processed, organized, structured, or presented in a given context to make them useful, they are called Information
  • Data themselves are fairly useless, but when interpreted and processed to determine their true meaning, they become useful and can be called Information
• Information Processing:

  • Process Date of Birth ➔ Age
  • Process Name ➔ Surname
  • Process Address ➔ City
  • Process Salary (all) ➔ Highest paid employee
  • Process all ➔ No of employees
  • Process all ➔ Employees working for Sales division
• Data in context:

  • Graphical displays turn data into useful information for decision making and interpretation
• Steps in converting data into information:

  1. Acquisition

  2. Storage

  3. Manipulation

  4. Retrieval
• Metadata:

  • Data that describes the properties and context of user data
  • Descriptions of the properties or characteristics of the data, including data types, field sizes, allowable values, and data context
• Data Manipulation:

  • Retrieval, insertion, deletion, and modification of information stored in the database
  • Data-manipulation language enables users to access or manipulate data as organized by the appropriate data model
  • Two types of data-manipulation languages: Procedural and Nonprocedural
• Database Management System (DBMS):

  • A set of programs used to define, administer, and process the database and its applications conveniently and efficiently
  • Manages the storage and retrieval of data, and provides the user with certain functionalities to guarantee that the data will be logically organized and consistently applied
• Computer Database:

  • A structured collection of records or data stored in a computer system
  • A means to manipulate data in a useful way, providing proper storage for large amounts of data, easy and fast access, and facilitating the processing of data
  • An organized collection of related information or data stored on a computer disk for easy, efficient use
• Data Hierarchy:

  • File
  • Record
  • Field
  • Byte
  • Bit
• General Information Systems Diagram:

  • Data Input
  • Feedback
  • Control
  • Information Management
  • Decisions
  • Output Process (Environment)
• Information storage is the systematic process of collecting and cataloging data so that they can be located and displayed on request
• Computers and data processing techniques have made it possible to access high-speed and large amounts of information for government, commercial, and academic purposes
• Information storage can refer to a place like a storage room where paper records are kept or a storage device such as a computer hard disk, CD, DVD, or similar device
• Types of Information Storage Media:

  • Hard Drive
  • Floppy Disk
  • CD & DVD
  • USB Flash Drive
• An information retrieval system is used to store items of information that need to be processed, searched, retrieved, and disseminated to various user populations
• Major Components of Information Retrieval:

  • Database: a system used to record and maintain information
  • Search mechanism: information organized systematically that can be searched and retrieved when a corresponding search mechanism is provided
  • Language: information relies on language when being processed, transferred, or communicated
  • Interface: determines the success of a system for information retrieval
• Retrieval Techniques:

  Basic Retrieval Techniques:

  • Boolean Searching
  • Case sensitivity searching
  • Truncation
  • Proximity searching
  • Range searching

  Advanced Retrieval Techniques:

  • Fuzzy searching
  • Query expansion
  • Multiple databases searching
• Boolean Searching:

  • AND operator for narrowing down a search
  • OR operator for broadening a search
  • NOT operator for excluding unwanted results
• Case Sensitivity Searching:

  • Text can exhibit case sensitivity, where words can differ in meaning based on the use of uppercase and lowercase letters
  • Example: "Bill" vs. "bill"
• Truncation:

  • Allows a search for all different forms of a word with common roots
  • Uses symbols like ?, *, and # for truncation
  • Options include Left truncation, Right truncation, and middle truncation
• Proximity Searching:

  • Allows specifying how close two or more words must be to register a match
  • Types include Word proximity, Sentence proximity, and Paragraph proximity
• Range Searching:

  • Useful with numerical information
  • Options include greater than (>), less than (=), less than or equal to (<=)
• Fuzzy Searching:

  • Designed to find terms that are spelled incorrectly
  • Helps detect and correct spelling errors resulting from OCR and text compression
• Query Expansion:

  • Allows the end user to improve retrieval performance by revising search queries based on results already retrieved
• Multiple Database Searching:

  • Involves searching more than one IR system
  • Useful when a single system may not provide the desired results
  • Can suggest suitable systems for further searches
• There are several ways to define "information":

  • Subjective: people develop models of their environment
  • Thing/artifact: information captured in books, web pages, or other resources
• Informetrics:

  • The measurement of information stored and used for decision making
• Information Age:

  • We have entered the information age where most things will be recorded and indexed
  • Technologies like search, data summarization, and knowledge extraction are key
• Types of Data Representations:

  • Categories
  • Equations
  • Language
  • Logic statements
  • Images
  • Mental models
• Consequences of Information:

  • Information can lead to decisions, actions, contemplation, laws, and more information
• Models of Information Use:

  • Personal models (cognitive)
  • Social models (institutions, groups, nations, commerce)
• Key Challenges in Information Management:

  • The rate of information growth is increasing exponentially
  • Duplication of data contributes to the increase of information growth
• Increasing dependency on information:

  • Strategic use of information is crucial for business success and provides competitive advantages
• Changing value of information:

  • Information's value can change over time, what is valuable today may become less important tomorrow
• Types of Information Corpus:

  • Files: include letters, memos, reports, spreadsheets, database files, presentations
  • Databases: maintained on different hardware and software platforms
  • Email: important for internal and external business communication
  • Instant Messaging (IM): real-time communication between employees
  • Electronic Publishing: includes printed material and electronic formats like web pages and PDF documents
• Information Lifecycle:

  • Change in the value of information over time
  • Data is most valuable when first created and used frequently
  • Data becomes less valuable as it ages and is accessed less frequently
  • Understanding the information lifecycle helps in deploying appropriate storage infrastructure
• Types of Information System:

  • Transaction processing systems (TPSs): focus on data collection and processing, cost reduction, minimal human involvement
  • Business Intelligence System: processes, stores, and provides useful information to users, includes reporting, data mining, and knowledge management
  • Office Information/Automation System: improves productivity of employees processing data and information
  • Management Reporting System: provides business information in the form of reports and statements
• • Decision Support System: aids in decision-making activities that require judgment and determination
  • Executive Information System: assists senior executives in decision-making process with easy access to important data