Module 2

• Information systems (IS)


  The study of complementary networks of hardware and software that people and organizations use to collect, filter, process, create, and distribute data
• Types of information systems

  • A four level pyramid model of different types of Information Systems based on the different levels of hierarchy in an organization
• The 'classic' view of Information systems found in the textbooks of the 1980s was of a pyramid of systems that reflected the hierarchy of the organization, usually transaction processing systems at the bottom of the pyramid, followed by management information systems, decision support systems and ending with executive information systems at the top
• Although the pyramid model remains useful, since it was first formulated a number of new technologies have been developed and new categories of information systems have emerged, some of which no longer fit easily into the original pyramid model
• Data warehouse


  A database used for reporting and data analysis, created by integrating data from multiple disparate sources. Stores current and historical data for creating trending reports for senior management
• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems


  Integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. Automate this activity with an integrated software application
• Enterprise systems (ES)


  Large-scale application software packages that support business processes, information flows, reporting, and data analytics in complex organizations. Built on software platforms and databases
• Expert system


  A computer system that emulates the decision-making ability of a human expert, designed to solve complex problems by reasoning about knowledge, not following a developer's procedure
• Geographic information system (GIS)


  A system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographical data
• Information Technology System

  Components: hardware, software, network, users: end-users and IT professionals
• Global information system (GIS)


  Integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. Allows viewing, understanding, questioning, interpreting, and visualizing data to reveal relationships, patterns, and trends
• Office automation


  The varied computer machinery and software used to digitally create, collect, store, manipulate, and relay office information needed for accomplishing basic tasks. Helps optimize or automate existing office procedures
• Advantages of office automation

  • Can get many tasks accomplished faster
  • Eliminates the need for a large staff
  • Less storage required for data
  • Multiple people can update data simultaneously in the event of schedule change
• Information System


  A discipline formed from elements of business and computer science, developing as a separate area of scientific study
• Healthcare information systems and healthcare processes are closely entwined with one another. Health care processes require the use of data and information and they also produce or create information
• Components of an Information System

  1. Input

  2. Process/Transformation

  3. Output
• Input


  Data that are going to be transformed
• Process


  Transforms input into an output
• Output


  The final product of a system, obtaining necessary information in a desired format
• Components of an Information System

  • Data
  • Hardware
  • Software
  • Telecommunications
  • People
  • Procedures
• Data


  Input the system takes to produce information
• Hardware


  A computer and its peripheral equipment: input, output and storage devices; hardware also includes data communication equipment
• Software


  Sets of instructions that tell the computer how to take data in, how to process it, how to display information, and how to store data and information
• Telecommunications


  Hardware and software that facilitates fast transmission and reception of text, pictures, sound, and animation in the form of electronic data
• People


  Information systems professionals and users who analyse organisational information needs, design and construct information systems, write computer programs, operate the hardware, and maintain software
• An input device is any hardware device that sends data to the computer, without any input devices, a computer would only be a display device and not allow users to interact with it, much like a TV
• Types of input devices

  • Audio conversion device
  • Barcode reader
  • Biometrics (e.g. fingerprint scanner)
  • Business Card Reader
  • Digital camera and Digital Camcorder
  • Finger (with touchscreen)
  • Gamepad, Joystick, Paddle, Steering wheel, and Microsoft Kinect
  • Graphics tablet
  • Keyboard
  • Light gun and light pen scanner
  • Magnetic-stripe reader
  • Medical imaging devices (e.g., X-Ray, CAT Scan, and Ultrasound images)
  • Microphone (using speech recognition or biometric verification)
  • MIDI keyboard
  • MICR
  • Mouse, touchpad, or other pointing device
  • Optical Mark Reader (OMR)
  • Punch card reader
  • Remote
  • Scanner
  • Sonar imaging devices
  • Touch screen
  • Video capture device
  • VR helmet and gloves
  • Webcam
• Drives such as a CD-ROM, DVD, and a Floppy diskette drive may be capable of sending the computer information, but they are not input devices. These devices are considered storage devices
• The system-development life cycle enables users to transform a newly-developed project into an operational one

  
• Output device


  Any peripheral that receives or displays output from a computer
• System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

  A multistep, iterative process, structured in a methodical way, used to model or provide a framework for technical and non-technical activities to deliver a quality system which meets or exceeds a business's expectations or manage decision-making progression

  
• Types of output devices

  • Braille embosser
  • Braille reader
  • Flat panel
  • GPS
  • Headphones
  • Monitor
  • Plotter
  • Printer
  • Projector
  • Sound card
  • Speakers
  • Speech-generating device (SGD)
  • TV
  • Video card
• Drives such as a CD-ROM, DVD, and a Floppy diskette drive may be capable of sending the computer information, but they are not output devices. These devices are considered storage devices
• Traditionally, the systems-development life cycle consisted of five stages. That has now increased to seven phases
• Memory


  A location where information is stored that is currently being utilized by the operating system, software program, hardware device, or the user
• Increasing the number of steps helped systems analysts to define clearer actions to achieve specific goals
• SDLC


  Similar to a project life cycle (PLC), it uses a systems approach to describe a process, often used and followed when there is an IT or IS project under development

  
• Types of memory


  • Volatile memory (loses contents when power is lost)
  • Non-volatile memory (keeps contents even if power is lost)
• The SDLC highlights different stages (phrases or steps) of the development process

  
• Storage device


  A hardware device capable of holding information