Intro Flashcards
What is an information system?
An information system is a collection of interwoven components that receive, store, analyse, process, and distribute data and information.
What is processing?
Processing is the act of converting data into information.
What are the categories of information systems?
- Computer based information systems.
- Non-computer based information systems.
What are the components of computer based information system?
- Hardware
- Software
- Databases
- Peopleware
- Telecommunications
What is feedback?
Feedback is the information returned by an information system which can be used to update or alter input or a process.
Why does an information system include people?
Because people have the skills to build, maintain, and use an information system.
What are procedures?
Procedures are steps or instructions to achieve a goal.
What are the benefits of an information system?
- Gives employees a competitive edge.
- Is an efficient way of handling data and information.
- Is effective.
What activities (involved in processing) convert data into information?
- Calculations (e.g. multiplying the amount of hours worked by pay rate to get wages)
- Comparing data and taking alternative approach (like encountering an error and amending the process)
What is efficiency?
Efficiency is the measure of what a system is able to accomplish (produce) compared to or divided by what it costs (consumed) to do so.
What is effectiveness?
Effectiveness of a system is how well or to what extent a system performs its task; can be computed by dividing the goals actu-ally achieved by the total of the stated goals.
What is data?
Data are simply raw facts.
What is information?
Information is processed data; data that has been made more useful than it was in its original state.
What is knowledge?
Knowledge is the awareness and understanding of information.
What are the properties of information?
Information is:
1. Objective
2. Subjective
3. Temporary
What are the types of data?
- Image data
- Audio data
- Alphanumeric data
- Video data
When was the first calculator made?
1642 by Blaise Pascal
When did interest/enthusiasm for information systems bloom?
1960
What year did Information Systems become its own 4-year course?
Sept 7, 1970
What year were PCs made?
1980
What are the mediating factors between organisations and information systems?
Organisational—
1. Environment
2. Culture
3. Politics
4. Managerial Decisions
What is an organisation?
An organisation is a formal societal entity which takes in resources from the environment, processes it, and produces its desired output.
What is information technology?
It is the (use or study of the) collection of computer systems that manage, store, and exchange information.
What are the differences between Information Systems (IS) and Information Technology (IT)?
- IS has been around since the use of books to manually store data (pre-mechanical era); IT came about with the advent of computers.
- IS deals with the processes in storing and converting data for an organisation to use to better achieve its goal; IT deals with the hardware and software (or simply tools) used to process data and disseminate information.
- IS includes people (peopleware) who use it; IT does not include the people who use it.
What is information overload?
Information overload is a state of fatigue and overwhelmedness a person experiences in the face of too much information to process.
What are the elements of critical thinking?
- Analysing and testing alternative approaches and learning from experience.
- Suspension of judgement and maintaining doubt.
- Awareness of different approaches to a problem.
- Understanding one’s personal biases and limitations.
What is critical thinking?
It is the ability to steadily and effectively analyse information in order to form a sound judgement.
What is the World Wide Web?
It is a collection of interlinked documents and other (information) resources such as videos, images, audios, documents, that exist on a vast network known as the Internet.
What is URI?
Uniform Resource Identifier is a string of characters assigned to each resource on the internet that helps identify it. URI may be its name or its location, or both.
What is a web page?
It is a document that is displayed or available on the web. It may contain plain text, images, animation, videos, etc.
What is a website?
A website is a collection of related webpages. It is the location on the WWW that holds a collection of related webpages.
What is a URL?
It is a string of characters which points to the location or address of a website or other resource on the world wide web.
What is a web browser?
An application software that allows its users access webpages and other resources hosted on the internet.
What is a hyperlink?
A string of characters or even an image which links one resource or item on the web to another.
What are the characteristics of the web?
- The web is dynamic,
- The web is cross-platform; can be accessed on any, machine with internet access
- The web is spread globally across thousands of sites,
- The web has an easy-to-understand and -navigate user interface,
- The web has graphics capability,
- The web is interactive,
- The web is a hypertext information system.
How does accessing the web work?
- Browser sends URL to DNS (Domain Name System) server
- DNS server returns Internet Protocol (IP) address,
- Browser uses IP address to locate web server associated with the URL,
- Browser initiates a HTTP exchange with web server and requests for documents/resources in the server,
- The server receives the request and sends a reply usually containing the document,
- The browser renders the document in a more pleasing or understandable display to the user.
Examples of Top-level Domain Extensions?
.org : non-profit organisation
.com : commercial org
.uk : UK Domains
.gov : US government domain
.edu : education domaism
Parts of a URL.
For “www.example.com”,
www : subdomain
example: root or second level domain
.com: domain extension or top level domain
What is an IP address?
A 32-bit string of digits which describes the location of a web server or machine on the internet.
What are the properties of an IP address?
- Has two components: network and host (server?) component
- Digits are periodically separated by full stops.
- Is a 32-bits long
- Is represented by numbers from 0 to 255
What are the types of URL?
- Absolute URL
- Relative URL
What is absolute URL
Complete address of a resource including protocol, subdomain, second level domain, top level domain
What is Relative URL?
Partial address of a resource that is used to link to files that are part of the same website/server as the webpage it is placed in.
Example:
/images/img2.png
What is the Domain Name System Architecture?
- Domain Name: unique strings of characters associated with an IP address
- Domain Name Space: hierarchical structure used to organise domain names on internet.
- Name Servers: database which pairs each domain name to its corresponding IP address.
- Zones: collection of subdomains under the main domain
