Information

The words Data and Information may look similar and many people use these words very frequently, But both have lots of differences between them.

what is data: Data are plain facts. The word "data" is plural for "datum." When data are processed, organized, structured or presented in a given context so as to make them useful, they are called Information.

It is not enough to have data (such as statistics on the economy). Data themselves are fairly useless, but when these data are interpreted and processed to determine its true meaning, they become useful and can be named as Information. 

Information is data that has been processed in such a way as to be meaningful to the person who receives it. it is anything that is communicated.

Data is the term, that may be new to beginners, but it is very interesting and simple to understand. It can be anything like the name of a person or a place or a number etc. Data is the name given to basic facts and entities such as names and numbers. The main examples of data are weights, prices, costs, numbers of items sold, employee names, product names, addresses, tax codes, registration marks, etc.  

Data is the raw material that can be processed by any computing machine. Data can be represented in the form of:

Numbers and words which can be stored in the computer's language

Images, sounds, multimedia, and animated data as shown.

                            

Information: Information is data that has been converted into a more useful or intelligible form. It is the set of data that has been organized for direct utilization of mankind, as information helps human beings in their decision-making process. Examples are Time Table, Merit List, Report card, Headed tables, printed documents, pay slips, receipts, reports, etc. The information is obtained by assembling items of data into a meaningful form. For example, marks obtained by students and their roll numbers form data, the report card/sheet is the .information. Other forms of information are pay-slips, schedules, reports, worksheets, bar charts, invoices and account returns, etc. It may be noted that information may further be processed and/or manipulated to form knowledge. Information containing wisdom is known as knowledge.

Modem civilization has become so complicated and sophisticated that to survive one has to be competitive. This compels the people to keep himself informed of all types of happenings in society. With the advent of educational reforms in society, mankind is surrounded by a vast amount of data available. The modem business management system has also rendered itself to bulk collection of data from various sources, that need to be rearranged in a fashion so that it can be utilized with minimum possible time. This needs a high amount of filing either at the data stage or at the information stage. No office can be without files. If you go to any tax collection department or municipal office you will find a high amount of files stacked here and there.

Modem rules, regulations, and laws require every transaction to happen in a written form, which may be an agreement, application, voucher, bill, letter, memo, order, etc. Paper files require a high amount of storage space and paper storage creates several other problems like fire risk, spoilage, and deterioration by way of aging microorganism and humidity, etc. In modem days information is needed to run a man's own livelihood to run a system or processor to command a business.

The amount of information is growing very rapidly. The current age of information demands computer literacy be accompanied by information literacy as employers' dependence is .now focused on professionals with up to date information and all kinds of information processing skills so as to take the challenge of ever-changing scenario of information in this world information literacy helps to gather the appropriate information, evaluate the information and generate an informed decision. The impact of the information revolution has been extended to each individual in the society and it is much faster than the industrial revolution.

The migration from the industrial age to an information age has ended the repetitive effort of workers by replacing them with computer software, robots with artificial intelligence have replaced the humans, and multiprocessing computers have replaced office workers with typewriters.

• To gain knowledge about the surroundings, and whatever is happening in society and the universe.

• To keep the system up to date.

• To know about the rules and regulations and bye-laws of society, local government, provincial and central government, associations, clients, etc. as ignorance is no bliss.

• Based on the above three, to arrive at a particular decision for planning current and prospective actions in process of forming, running and protecting a processor system