[Year 12 IPM] Data vs Information

[Mike Brookes]

Hi Peter et al
Not if you use my first definition :-)

Just because information is not useful does not mean that it is not 
information.

(how much of the information that you gain at a staff meeting do you 
find useful - oops sorry boss just kidding)

Just because data is collated and sorted and summarised does not make it 
more than data, however it is data that would make it easier for the 
reader to gain more information.

The confusion bought about by the hijacking of these terms is because a 
so called "Information Processing" system does not process information - 
it processes DATA. Its purpose is to gather, process, store and display 
the data in a form that makes it easier for PEOPLE to interpret and gain 
understanding (information) about a thing or situation.

Mike Brookes
Chief cook and bottlewasher
Copperfield College

Peter Ruwoldt (Wrk) wrote:
> What is information to one person is data to another. (aka - one 
> person's garbage is anothers treasure)
> Consider the scenario of a person from the health commission asking 
> students to complete a health survey.  The fact that an individual 
> student smokes is not useful to the person from the health commission.  
> Sure they are concerned that a youth chooses to smoke.  The fact that 
> YOU as an individual smokes is going to be useful information to your 
> parents but not the health commission.  When they gather all of the data 
> and find out that it is mainly 14-19 year old females that smoke they 
> have some information that they can use which will helpful in better 
> targeting their quit campaign.
> Now we can weave drug education into information technology - that's 
> called value adding.
> Cheers
> Peter

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