The Art of Information Processing – SS1 Data Processing Lesson Note (Second Term)

Information processing is the acquisition, recording, organisation, retrieval, display and dissemination of information.

Information processing can also mean the manipulation of digitised information by computers and other digital electronic equipment, known collectively as information technology.

A computer information processor processes information to produce understandable results. For example, an information processor translates and formats digital information for printed form.

Behavioural objectives

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

• define information processing;
• explain collation and state its advantages;
• describe information organisation;
• explain information analysis;
• explain information interpretation.

What is collation of information?

Collation is the assembly of written information into a standard order. Many systems of collation are based on numerical order or alphabetical order, or extensions and combinations of these. Collation is a fundamental element of most office filing systems, library catalogues and reference books.

What are the advantages of collation?

The main advantage of collation is that it makes it fast and easy for a user to find an element in a list, or to confirm that it is absent from the list. In automatic systems this can be done using a binary search algorithm or interpolation search. Manual searching may use a roughly similar procedure, though this is often done unconsciously.

Other advantages are that one can easily find the first or last elements on the list (most useful for numerically sorted data), or elements in a given range. A range search is useful for numerical data. It is also useful for alphabetically ordered data when one is sure of only the first few letters of the item or items sought.

What is information organisation?

Information organisation (IO) is the process of ordering, surrogation or description of information and information objects. These three tasks are broad tasks that identify tangible elements of IO. They also apply across areas of information research, including retrieval, interaction and personal information management.

What is information analysis?

Information analysis is the science of evaluating information content and refining information to build portfolios. It works both for managers who use a non-quantitative process and for those who use a quantitative investment process. The only requirement is that there is a process.

Information is a fuzzy concept.

Information analysis begins by transforming information into something concrete: investment portfolios. It then analyses the performance of those portfolios to determine the value of the information.

Information analysis can work with something as simple as an analyst’s buy and sell recommendations. It can also work with alpha forecasts for a broad universe of stocks. It is not concerned with the intuition or process used to generate stock recommendations, only with the recommendations themselves.

What is information interpretation?

Information interpretation is the process through which organisations make sense of new information that they have acquired and disseminated.

Items

1. Our employees, as individuals, are prepared to rethink decisions when presented with new and relevant information. (0.65)
2. Our employees seek to deeply understand issues and concepts. (0.46)
3. Our employees do not hesitate to question things they do not understand. (0.65)
4. Our employees, as individuals, are interested in knowing not only what to do but also why we do things. (0.78)

Evaluation

1. Define information processing.
2. What is collation? Give two places where collation is used.
3. State two advantages of collation.
4. Name the three tasks that make up information organisation.
5. What is information interpretation?

Assignment

1. Write short notes on information organisation and information analysis.
2. Explain how collation helps a user to find an item in a list.