1. 1 AQA ICT AS Level © Nelson Thornes 2008 1 Data and information

2. 2 AQA ICT AS Level © Nelson Thornes 2008 2 Data and information Data has no meaning – do you know what this barcode represents? No. We do not know what it means – it is just a line of numbers with some stripes.

3. 3 AQA ICT AS Level © Nelson Thornes 2008 3 The computer processes the barcode data to produce a till receipt at the checkout, which tells the customer what the product is and how much it costs. The data is now information. Data and information

4. 4 AQA ICT AS Level © Nelson Thornes 2008 4 Data Process Information Data and information

5. 5 AQA ICT AS Level © Nelson Thornes 2008 5 Direct mail companies buy lists of names and addresses of potential customers and then send them promotional material. The people on these lists must have an interest in the product the company is advertising, otherwise the information is not relevant to the company and the cost of mailing will be wasted. What do we mean when we say that these lists must be relevant? Relevant

6. 6 AQA ICT AS Level © Nelson Thornes 2008 6 What do we mean when we say that information comes from a reliable source? It means that we feel we can trust the information provider and that the information is likely to be true. Is the source more reliable if the information comes from the BBC website or Wikipedia? From a reliable source

7. 7 AQA ICT AS Level © Nelson Thornes 2008 7 The board of directors in a company meet to agree strategic decisions. Any information they might need must be to hand before the meeting starts. - This information must be timely. Timely

8. 8 AQA ICT AS Level © Nelson Thornes 2008 8 A number of attributes contribute to the notion of good quality information. –Accurate –Up to date –Complete –Relevant –From a reliable source –Timely You should be able to explain why these attributes are important and give clear examples. Summary