Rating: +0
I will post mine on day 7.
Clarification added May 27, 2008:
A lot of interesting answers. Here is a definition I heard years ago. DATA COMPARED to STANDARDS = INFORMATION.
For example the number 50,000 has no informational value. If we add a dollar sign to it, $50,000, it still does not have any informational value. If I told you this was the average yearly salary of a Web Programmer and if you compare it to your salary you would find out if you are over or under paid. The INFORMATION you received is based on the STANDARD, in this case your salary, you applied to the DATA. This rule can be applied to any data.
DATA COMPARED to STANDARDS = INFORMATION.
By the way, I have not given you INFORMATION. I have given your KNOWLEDGE.
INFORMATION you act on. KNOWLEDGE you use.
Mervin,
This is not a simple question. As I bet you already know. I can give you a storage perspective on "information". Information is Data in Context. Now that requires a definition of Data, but what about Data yields Information. This is typically referred to as meta-data. So, meta-data is an attribute of Data which yields Information.
Another aspect of Information is Processes. A process, such as a computer program can yield information from Data. An example is a table with numeric values, the numbers in the table are "data". The field descriptions such as Field1(Quantity), Field2(Cost) may be referred to as “meta-data” which describes the data contained in each field. However, at this point in the example you still do not have "information" you solely have "data" and "meta-data". A process/program which multiplies Field1(Quantity) by Field2(Cost) yields a new piece of “data” called [Total] which is now useful "information" derived from the “data”. The numbers combined produce an 'Invoice" which is the Data in the context of an Invoice or "Information" derived from data. So data, alone cannot produce information, data requires attributes such as meta-data and or processes to yield information.
From a storage bit perspective data resides as a BLOCK of information which can be retrieved and blocks are the atomic unit of data recognition. Moving up, Data is the logical representation of blocks, and information is the data put in context with the assistance of meta-data, readers and programs.
Information also needs to be viewed from other perspectives as well. Information without context can produce erratic results. This is where accurate long-term storage procedures come into play; that include the ability to store provenance information and other system attributes with the data, contained within the information. And, the assurance at the software and storage layers of integrity of the data, especially as it is transported and migrated both virtually and physically, so that it is assured to be stored and maintained in an immutable state, all of these areas will come into play with respect to ‘information’. Information has to be traceable to its origin, data, bits that can be proven to be authentic.
Good Luck,
Peter
May 2008
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