Data and Information – SS1 Data Processing Lesson Note (First Term)

Data are raw, unprocessed facts, and information is data that has been processed into a meaningful and useful form for the user.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. define data and information;
2. state the types and forms of data, with examples;
3. list sources of data and sources of information;
4. state the characteristics of good information;
5. describe the electronic and non-electronic ways of handling data.

What is data?

Data are raw, unorganised or unprocessed facts that need to be processed before they are useful.

• Raw: data may look simple, random or useless until it is organised.
• Singular and plural: one fact is a datum, and many facts are data.

What are examples of data?

• Numbers: 45, 60, 72.
• Names: names of things, places or animals.
• Words: single words or short phrases.
• Measurements: a height of 1.5 m or a mass of 40 kg.
• Observations: what a person sees or notes down.
• Descriptions: statements describing a thing.

What are the types of data?

There are two types of data: qualitative data and quantitative data.

1. Qualitative data: descriptive information, such as eye colour, a person’s name or an opinion.
2. Quantitative data: numeric information, such as age, scores or height.

What are the subdivisions of quantitative data?

Quantitative data is divided into continuous data and discrete data.

1. Continuous data: can take any value within a range, for example 0-99 or 10-20. It is also known as measured data. Examples are height, mass and temperature.
2. Discrete data: takes whole numbers only and is not continuous. It is also called counted data. Examples are the number of students in a class and the number of books on a shelf.

What are the forms of data?

Data appear in three basic forms: numeric, letters and symbols.

1. Numeric: the digits 0-9.
2. Letters: a-z or A-Z.
3. Symbols: special characters such as + , _ , * , % , = , < and > .

• Mixed data: the forms can be combined, as in a vehicle plate number.

What are the sources of data?

Sources of data are the places or people from which facts are collected, depending on the importance of the data.

• Television: news and programmes.
• Internet: websites and online records.
• Articles: written reports and papers.
• Government documents and public records: official files and registers.
• Newspapers: daily and weekly reports.
• Textbooks: printed subject material.
• Biographies: written life stories of people.

What are primary and secondary sources of data?

Data sources are grouped as primary or secondary according to how the data is obtained.

• Primary source: data collected first-hand by the user, for example through observation, interviews or questionnaires.
• Secondary source: data that already exists and was collected by someone else, for example textbooks, newspapers and public records.

What is information?

Information is data that has been converted into a more meaningful and useful form, so it is processed data that is meaningful to the user.

What is an example of data becoming information?

1. Raw data: the test scores 45, 60 and 72.
2. Processing: add the scores (177) and divide by 3.
3. Information: the class average is 59.

What is the difference between data and information?

Data is the raw material, while information is the finished product that a user can act on.

What are examples of information?

1. Student ID card: facts about a student, arranged for identification.
2. Weather report: processed readings presented as a forecast.
3. Student’s report card: scores processed into totals, averages and positions.
4. International passport: personal facts arranged in an official form.
5. Utility bills: usage figures processed into an amount to pay, for example PHCN bills and water bills.

What are the sources of information?

• Internet: websites and online services.
• Database: an organised collection of stored data.
• Magazine or newspaper: printed reports.
• Census board: population records.
• Documents: official and written records.
• Observation: information gained by watching events.

What are the characteristics of good information?

Good information has five characteristics: relevance, reliability, accuracy, availability and suitability.

1. Relevance: it must be relevant and good enough for its purpose.
2. Reliability: it must come from a reliable source.
3. Accuracy: it must be the end product of processed data, and it must be error-free.
4. Availability: it must be available and communicated to the user when it is needed.
5. Suitability: it must be expressed in a form the user can understand and be suitable for its purpose.

What is data handling?

Data handling is the process of ensuring that research data is stored, archived or disposed of safely and securely during and after the conclusion of a research project.

What are the ways of handling data?

There are two ways of handling data: electronic methods and non-electronic methods.

1. Electronic methods: data is handled electronically, which helps to ensure data integrity. Examples are personal digital assistants (PDA), storage media, CD/DVD and memory cards.
2. Non-electronic methods: data is handled on paper, using paper files, journals and laboratory notebooks. This is called the manual method, in which human energy and effort are used to process data.

How do electronic and manual methods compare?

Electronic methods use devices to store and process data, while manual methods rely on people and paper.

Evaluation

1. Define data and information.
2. State the two types of data and the two subdivisions of quantitative data.
3. List the five characteristics of good information.
4. Give two examples each of electronic and non-electronic methods of handling data.

Assignment

Answer these four objective questions in your notebook.

1. ……… are raw facts which have not undergone processing.
   A. Information
   B. Data
   C. Record
   D. None
2. One of the characteristics of good information has to do with the correctness of information.
   A. Reliability
   B. Availability
   C. Accuracy
   D. None
3. ……… refers to the information that has been processed.
   A. Data
   B. Information
   C. Database
   D. None
4. There are ……… types of data.
   A. 2
   B. 3
   C. 4
   D. 8