here’s a recap of information systems from the prelim course

[syllabus definition - information systems are computer systems that support end users, giving them access to information]

• Information Systems perform a set of information processes requiring participants, data/information and IT

• Information Processing: The creation of information from data

• IS’s perform the 7 information process

• IS’s are created for a purpose (i.e. they solve a problem, automate a process etc.) and operate in a particular environment

• relationship between elements in an IS are shown to the right

Characteristics of an Information System

IS’s are created to provide access to information for an organisation/individual

• in most IS’s, data is stored in a database & accessed achieved using DBMS

Organisation of data into information

• an IS’s purpose is to give access to info + knowledge (from data)

Data → pure facts such as raw numbers that have no meaning by themselves

Info → data that’s been organised in some way to create meaning

Knowledge → Analysed information that can be applied/used and has value

• data must be organised before it’s stored + analysed by an IS
  • data must be organised carefully or the info will be meaningless
  • e.g. there’s no point storing random numbers in a weather DB, it needs to be organised into temps that correspond to suburbs etc.)
• Data is organised using methods such as sorting, summarising or classifying
• Data in IS organised into data structures w/ organisational methods such as:
  • data dictionaries
  • generating tables
• Organising raw data to become information:
  • raw data in the form of numbers is collected from the weather. These numbers have no meaning. It is organised into temperatures which now have meaning

Analysis of Information to give Knowledge

• in order to get knowledge from info, it needs to be analysed
  • data can be analysed using tools provided by the IS (i.e. tables, queries, reports)
• people make decisions based on info from ISs (by analysing trends in weather data from a suburb over a period of time, knowledge is gained about the overall suburb’s climate which will assist in making decisions i.e. choice of clothes if climate is hot or cold)