Data, Information, and Knowledge Concepts

• Management of data, information, and knowledge is explored
• The presentation was prepared by Omar Abahmane in October 2023

Data, Information, and Knowledge Relationships

• Data, information, and knowledge are related, with increasing size, complexity, and management cost from data to information to knowledge

Data

• Data refers to sets of symbols (textual, visual, audio) which may or may not have generic meaning
• Examples of data include "Salim", "server", "client", and "7Z&fXK"
• Sample data: 77° F, 4:00 PM, Agadir, 1998, Shade, Beach

Information

• Information refers to data with specific meaning, typically by putting data in some context, like a sentence
• Examples include, "Salim is my friend," "7Z&fXK is encrypted 'Salim'," and "client device sends requests to the server"
• Example usage "It was 77 °F in the shade in Agadir at 4:00 PM" and "I lived in Agadir since 77 and was member of the PMBeach Club"

Knowledge

• Knowledge refers to interconnected information that signifies what is or will be, why is or will be, and how to do it
• WHAT refers to semantics, taxonomy, episodic content, and ontology
• HOW refers to procedural knowledge related to how to do things

Relationships Between Data, Information and Knowledge

• Data provides building blocks for information and information builds knowledge
• Knowledge facilitates the creation of information from data
• New data changes information, and new information changes knowledge
• Fuzzy boundaries exist between information and knowledge

Evolution of Data, Information, and Knowledge in MIS

• In Management Information Systems (MIS), data, information, and knowledge are typically called information resources
• The term "information" is sometimes used in a broader sense in MIS
• Term "information" is inclusive of data, information, and knowledge

Information Resources: Modern Issues

• Modern issues for information resources includes more versus less structured information, like records versus documents
• Hypertext-based structures are a pattern of linked data and info
• Metadata is data about data or information/knowledge, like a data dictionary, data definitions in DBMS, and tags in markup languages

Technology for Managing Data/Information

• Database Management Systems (DBMS) include hierarchical, network, relational, and object models
• Challenges exist for managing multimedia data

Newer Database Developments

• Newer database developments include data warehousing, data mining, and Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) -There is a borderline, or "grayish area," between information and knowledge

Information Life Cycle

• The information lifecycle includes collecting/creating, storing, filtering, organizing, retrieving, transferring/sharing, using, updating, and discarding after x cycles
• Knowledge management uses a similar cycle

Technology for Information Management

• Technologies for information management include databases (organize, store, retrieve), Management Information Systems and decision support systems which have knowledge implications
• Further technologies includes information filtering to reduce size and increase relevance, communication for transfer and creation, and groupware to create, store, and share information