A Level Data Technologies Past Paper - Storing Data

CONTEMPORARY DATA PRACTICES STORING DATA  LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. Understand how binary data is stored. 2. To be able to calculate storage requirements. 3. To grasp the importance of monitoring data usage and size. 4. To explore various storage methods and their practical applica...

CONTEMPORARY DATA PRACTICES STORING DATA  LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. Understand how binary data is stored. 2. To be able to calculate storage requirements. 3. To grasp the importance of monitoring data usage and size. 4. To explore various storage methods and their practical applications.  BINARY DATA A bit is the smallest binary unit and is short for binary digit. Binary units have two possible levels - 1 and 0. A byte is 8 bits. This can store the ASCII table of letters and numerically this represents 0 - 255.  BINARY DATA UNIT Symbol VALUE UNIT Symbol VALUE Byte B 8 Bits Petabyte PB 1024 TB Kilobyte KB 1024 B Exabyte EB 1024PB Megabyte MB 1024 KB Zettabyte ZB 1024EB Gigabyte GB 1024 MB Yottabyte YB 1024 ZB Terabyte TB 1024 GB Brontobyte BB 1024 YB  REPRESENTATION OF CHARACTERS Within any written document each character is represented by an 8 Bit binary number that corresponds to that character on the ASCII Table.  REPRESENTATION OF SOUND Sound is stored as a digital representation. The digital representation is achieved by sampling (signal processing). The sample quality can be affected by the sample rate and sample frequency. The higher the sample rate and frequency, the larger the resultant sample. REPRESENTATION OF GRAPHICS Graphics can be defined as either a raster based or vector based image. Raster based images are dot matrix data structures representing a grid of pixels and cannot scale up without loss of apparent quality.  Bits Per Pixel Max Colours REPRESENTATION OF GRAPHICS 1 bpp 2 2 bpp 4 3 bpp 8 Bitmaps are the most common type of Raster 4 bpp 16 Image and are composed of tiny parts, called pixels. 5 bpp 32 6 bpp 64 Pixels are defined by their bits per pixel, this is 7 bpp 128 the maximum amount of colours that they can 8 bpp 256 represent. 10 bpp 1024 REPRESENTATION OF GRAPHICS Vector graphics use geometrically primitive objects such as points, lines, curves, and shapes which are based on mathematical expressions to represent images. Vectors can be easily scaled without loss of apparent quality.  CALCULATING DATA STORAGE Typically computer systems will automatically calculate the size of a file when it is created on a system. However, when you are looking to define a data storage method, you need to make sure there is enough space for that data.  CALCULATING DATA STORAGE - CHARACTERS Number of Characters x 8 This allows us to find out the amount of space in Bytes Answer / 1024 This converts the answer from Bytes to Kilobytes, complete this action as many times as you need to go up the storage table  CALCULATING DATA STORAGE - SOUND Sample Rate x Sample Resolution x Length This allows us to find out the amount of space in Bytes Answer / 1024 This converts the answer from Bytes to Kilobytes, complete this action as many times as you need to go up the storage table  CALCULATING DATA STORAGE - GRAPHICS Rows x Columns x Bits Per Pixel This allows us to find out the amount of space in Bytes Answer / 1024 This converts the answer from Bytes to Kilobytes, complete this action as many times as you need to go up the storage table  PART ONE In a certain computer an uncompressed movie file format uses 2 megabytes of storage space per frame. The video is recorded at a frame rate of 30fps, and the length of the movie is 30 seconds.  PART ONE In a certain computer an uncompressed movie file format uses 2 megabytes of storage space per frame. The video is recorded at a frame rate of 30fps, and the length of the movie is 30 seconds. FORMULA: Space Per Frame x Frame Rate Answer / 1024  PART TWO Sound is now added to this movie file. It uses an uncompressed format which requires 512 kilobytes of storage per second.  PART TWO Sound is now added to this movie file. It uses an uncompressed format which requires 512 kilobytes of storage per second. FORMULA: Storage per Second * Frames per Second Answer / 1024 Add Sound from Part 1 Answer / 1024  LET’S PRACTICE Question One An 8-bit image has been created for a video game that has 64 rows and 64 columns at 3 Bits per Pixel. Calculate the size of the file in Kilobytes.  LET’S PRACTICE Question Two A video game runs at 60 frames per second (fps) and has a duration of 20 minutes. Calculate the total storage size needed for recording the gameplay if each frame requires 3 megabytes of storage. Express the result in terabytes.  LET’S PRACTICE Question Three An audio recording is made at a sample rate of 8KHz and resolution of 16 bits for a duration of 2 hours. Calculate the storage size for this audio recording in megabytes.  LET’S PRACTICE Question Four A word document has been produced for an assignment in an English class. The file contains 4000 characters. Calculate the storage size of the file in Kilobytes.  EXAM QUESTION A video stored on the company’s server requires approximately 5MB of storage for each uncompressed frame. The video was recorded at a frame rate of 60FPS and is 120 seconds long. Uncompressed sound and meta data in the file require an additional 20MB of storage. Calculate the total storage size of the video in gigabytes. [ 5 Marks ]  CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a geographically distributed group of servers that work together to provide fast delivery of Internet content. These servers are Content Caching - this allows for the facilitation of downloading or streaming of content to the end user.  CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK - HOW DOES IT WORK? By utilising a series of CDN Servers that are grouped together, called Points of Presence (PoP) which are situated in various strategic geogrphic locations. Using the Geographic IP address of the user it refers them to the closest PoP.  CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK - WHY DO WE USE THEM? CDNs distribute content, such as web pages, videos, and images, across multiple servers and data centres located strategically around the world.  CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK - WHY DO WE USE THEM? By monitoring data usage and size, CDNs can efficiently allocate resources, ensuring that content is delivered from servers that are geographically closer to end-users. ​ This reduces latency and improves content delivery speed so improves user experience.​  TASK Can you think of how a CDN would affect a News Website?  WITHOUT A CDN When a user visits the website, their request is directed to a single server. The user may also be far away from the server Slower Loading due to the increased distance the data has to travel. Performance issues or downtime due to increased load on the server  WITH A CDN Website’s content is replicated and stored on multiple servers distributed across the regions worldwide. User are directed to the geographically closest PoP. Improved perforamnce as the time it takes to send / retrieve data is reduced. Being able to distribute load / traffic across many servers. Being able to easily scale it up (Add more servers) CONTEMPORARY DATA PRACTICES STORING DATA LESSON 2  LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. Understand how binary data is stored. 2. To be able to calculate storage requirements. 3. To grasp the importance of monitoring data usage and size. 4. To explore various storage methods and their practical applications.  TASK Using AI or what ever you want. Create a presentation, poster, short video explaining: How your given technology works, Its Application Its Positives and Negatives  TASK Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) ​ Network Attached Storage (NAS) ​ High availability storage​ Storage Area Networks usage (SAN)​ Cloud storage ​ Hosted storage COMPLETE THE SUMMARY TABLE CONTEMPORARY DATA PRACTICES STORING DATA LESSON 3  LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. To explore various storage methods and their practical applications. 2. Understand the Concept of Virtualisation​ 3. Differentiate Between Hosted Instance and Hosted Solution​ 4. Understand Clustering in Cloud Computing​ 5. Explain Blockchain Storage​  GENERAL GRAPHIC STORAGE Bitmapped graphics, also known as raster graphics, are a type of digital image format that uses a grid of individual pixels to represent images.  GENERAL GRAPHIC STORAGE Each pixel is a tiny coloured square, and by arranging these pixels in a specific pattern, you can create images. Each pixel is assigned a specific colour value, which is usually represented using a combination of bits (binary digits, 0s and 1s).  COMPRESSED GRAPHICS Graphical data compression is a method used to reduce the amount of digital data needed to store or transmit graphical content while maintaining an acceptable level of visual quality. Two types of compression: Lossy Graphic Compression - removing the clarity of some colours by generically finding similar colours and merging them together. ​​ Lossless Graphic Compression - compresses graphical data without sacrificing any visual quality. This is done by grouping colours and assigning them a value  GENERAL SOUND STORAGE When storing sound on a computer it will first have to be converted from analogue to digital. When you hear things “in real life” for example a voice, the sound is in the form of a continuous wave, whereas a digital sound is the product of “sampling”.  COMPRESSED AUDIO Audio data compression is a technique used to reduce the amount of digital data required to store or transmit audio information while maintaining acceptable audio quality.​Two types of compression: ​ Lossy Audio Compression - removing some audio information that our ears might not easily notice. ​ Lossless Audio Compression - compresses audio data without sacrificing any quality​  COMPRESSED VIDEO Video data compression is a method used to reduce the amount of digital data needed to store or transmit video content while maintaining an acceptable level of visual quality. Two types of compression: Lossy Video Compression - removing some video information that the human eye might not easily notice that is deemed to be less important. This will reduce the resolution of the video. Common codecs are H.264 and H.265 ​​ Lossless Video Compression - compresses audio data without sacrificing any visual quality. Common codecs include Lagarith and UtVideo​​  EXAM QUESTION A large media-streaming company allows its users to search for content and play related videos online. Describe two compression methods used to store video files. [ 6 Marks ]  VIRTUALISATION Virtualisation is the process of creating a virtual version or instance of a resource. This allows you to take one piece of hardware and make it act like multiple pieces, saving you the cost of more hardware and equipment.  VIRTUALISATION - USES Run multiple servers on 1 piece of hardware.​ Run Applications from a virtualised server instead of the local PC​ Reproduce a network to make a independent network​ Run two desktop environment, e.g. Mac and Windows​ Pool storage from many devices so that it looks like one device  VIRTUAL STORAGE Virtual Storage is the combination of physical storage from multiple devices into what appears to be a single storage device managed from a central console.​ Within this method of storage the complexity is hidden from the user - it appears as a standard read or write to a physical drive.  VIRTUAL STORAGE - ADVANTAGES Cost - Reduced upfront hardware and continuing operating costs​ Less downtime – by simplifying to one console, easier to back up and recover data​ Scalability – easy to add more storage to the virtualised pool of storage  VIRTUAL STORAGE - DISADVANTAGES Complexity – may require specialised skills​ Cost – Initial investment associated with acquiring and implementing storage virtualisation as well as ongoing 3rd party costs to software companies.  HOSTED INSTANCE A hosted instance refers to a virtual machine (VM) or a server instance that is hosted or run on a cloud infrastructure or a third-party hosting provider's data centre. Used to offer resources e.g. CPU, RAM or storage on demand​  HOSTED SOLUTION Similar to a hosted instance with greater scope, that offers a broader range of services. An example of this is Software as a Service (SaaS) application such as Office 365.  CLUSTERING A cluster is a set of computers that work together so that they can be viewed as a singular system. A cluster of computer systems work in parallel to share the workload and enhance the processing power and storage capacity.  CLOUD STORAGE A cloud service allows you to access and use computer resources over the internet, rather than on your local computer or data centre. Examples of this are servers, storage, software.  CLOUD STORAGE - BENEFITS Cost Saving Save on Infrastructure e.g. physical hardware and data centres.​ Economies of scale e.g. Cloud providers can achieve economies of scale, spreading infrastructure costs across multiple customers.  CLOUD STORAGE - BENEFITS Cost Saving Save on Infrastructure e.g. physical hardware and data centres.​ Economies of scale e.g. Cloud providers can achieve economies of scale, spreading infrastructure costs across multiple customers.  CLOUD STORAGE - BENEFITS Scalability On-Demand Resources e.g. Cloud services can scale up or down based on the organisation's needs.  CLOUD STORAGE - BENEFITS Business Continuity Cloud providers typically offer automated backup and disaster recovery services​ Ensures data is protected and can be quickly restored in case of data loss or system failures.  CLOUD STORAGE - BENEFITS Collaboration Tools such as Office 365 and Google Docs mean that there can be real-time communication and collaboration among team members, regardless of their physical location.  CLOUD STORAGE - BENEFITS Updates and Maintenance Cloud providers handle software updates, security patches, and maintenance tasks​ This reduces the burden on IT teams and ensuring systems are up to date and secure (also a cost saving)​  BLOCKCHAIN A blockchain is a decentralised and secure way of storing data in a distributed ledger format. This method of storage relies on cryptographic techniques, consensus mechanics, and decentralisation to ensure the integrity and immutability of stored data, making it suitable for a wider range of applications beyond just cryptocurrencies.  BLOCKCHAIN - TERMINOLOGY Distributed ledger format - This acts a decentralised database of information about transactions between various parties. Consensus mechanics - This is a protocol that is used to bring all the nodes of a blockchain network together into agreement on a singular data set. Decentralisation - There is no single point within a block chain, therefore there is no point of failure. BLOCKCHAIN - HOW DOES IT WORK Operations are filled into the DLT in chronological order and stored as a series of blocks. An interconnected chain is formed between the blocks, giving a reference point to the block that comes before is - thus creating a blockchain.  BLOCKCHAIN - TERMINOLOGY Immutability - Once data is stored on a blockchain, it cannot be altered or deleted. Transparency - This method of storage allows for a transparent and auditable record of all transactions, allowing for greater visibility and accountability. Interoperability - A blockchain allows for the creation of decentralised application and smart contracts that can interact with other blockchain networks.  BLOCKCHAIN - BENEFITS Privacy - Blockchain provides better privacy and security as it allows for the creation of private and permissioned blockchain networks where access to the data can be controlled. Cost-Effective - As it does not make usage of any centralised infrastructure there are no maintenance costs. Someone requests a transaction The requested transaction is broadcasted to a P2P network consisting of computers (These are known as nodes) The network of nodes validates the transaction and the user’s status using known algorithms. A verified transaction can involve cryptocurrency, contracts, records or other information. Once verified, the transaction is combined with other transactions to create a new block of data for the ledger. The new block is then adding to the existing blockchain, in a way that is permenant and unalterable.  TASK Now, let’s make our own BlOCKCHAIN  TASK Now, let’s make our own BlOCKCHAIN Looking at our blockchain, what do we mean by integrity and immutability?