COMP 3715 Data, Information

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COMP 3715 Data, Information Knowledge
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Overview

• Goal of the class Using data, information
  knowledge as an over-arching connection of
  various fields of Computer Science

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Overview 4 areas

• Database management (DBMS)
• How to manage data and make it easy to turn data
  to information
• Artificial Intelligence
• How to turn data information into knowledge
• Human Computer Interaction
• How to facilitate usage of data, information and
  knowledge
• Cyberethics
• How to use data, information and knowledge to the
  benefit, not detriment, of mankind

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Title of the class

• What does each of the three words means?
• Data
• Information
• Knowledge

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Data, information, knowledge

• Data
• Factual information (as measurements or
  statistics) used as a basis for reasoning,
  discussion, or calculation
• Information output by a sensing device or organ
  that includes both useful and irrelevant or
  redundant information and must be processed to be
  meaningful
• Information in numerical form that can be
  digitally transmitted or processed

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• Information
• The communication or reception of knowledge or
  intelligence
• Knowledge obtained from investigation, study, or
  instruction
• The attribute inherent in and communicated by one
  of two or more alternative sequences or
  arrangements of something that produce specific
  effects
• A signal or character representing data
• Something (which justifies change in a construct
  that represents physical or mental experience or
  another construct
• a quantitative measure of the content of
  information

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• Knowledge
• the fact or condition of knowing something with
  familiarity gained through experience or
  association
• acquaintance with or understanding of a science,
  art, or technique
• the range of one's information or understanding
• the circumstance or condition of apprehending
  truth or fact through reasoning

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Another definition

• According to Russell Ackoff
• Data symbols
• Information data that are processed to be
  useful provides answers to "who", "what",
  "where", and "when" questions
• Knowledge application of data and information
  answers "how" questions
• Understanding appreciation of "why"
• Wisdom evaluated understanding.

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A working definition

• Data
• Number, measurements, symbols that represent
  attributes of objects of our interest
• Information
• Patterns appearing from the data that can be
  understood by humans
• Knowledge
• Ability to reason the why and how of patterns

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Case 1

• Suppose you want to set up an on-line auction web
  site.
• Data? Information? Knowledge?
• How to acquire them?
• How to transform from one to another?
• Ethical issues?

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Case 2

• Suppose you are given the task to write a
  computer program to play a new kind of chess.
• Data? Information? Knowledge?
• How to acquire them?
• How to transform from one to another?
• Ethical issues?

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Case 3

• Suppose you are the biochemical researcher and
  wants to analyze the cause of a disease.
• Data? Information? Knowledge?
• How to acquire them?
• How to transform from one to another?
• Ethical issues?

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Key questions to deal with

• Data
• Where are the data
• How to collect the data
• What to do if data is not clean
• How to convert the data to a form that the
  computer understand?
• How to enter the data to the computer (so that
  human can do it)?
• How to store the data? How to update the data?
• How to retrieve the data?
• Any ethical/legal issue in using the data?

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Key questions to deal with

• From data to information
• What is the type of information one want?
• How to convert from data to information?
• How to represent the information on the computer?
• How to present the information for user to
  understand?
• Is the information obtained to be shared? How?

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Key questions to deal with

• From information to knowledge
• What kind of knowledge is needed?
• How to represent knowledge in the system?
• How good can one comprehend and derive knowledge?
• Is it a way for user to enter previous knowledge?
• What is the limitation of knowledge one can get?
• How much level of intelligence can one expect?