Information and Communication Technology

Data and Information Concepts

• Definition of Data: Data refers to numbers, words, images, and symbols that do not bear a meaning when standing alone.
• Definition of Information: Information is arrived at by arranging and processing data into a meaningful form. Information is used to make decisions and arrive at meaningful conclusions.
• Example 1: Term Test Results:     * Raw data such as "Ravi $78$, $90$, $79$, $67$, $76$, $98$" is difficult to interpret without context.     * Tabulating the data provides meaning. For instance:         * Ravi: Language ($78$), Mathematics ($90$), Science ($79$), History ($67$), Health ($76$), English ($78$). Total: ($468$). Average: ($78$). Rank: ($2$).         * Saman: Language ($76$), Mathematics ($78$), Science ($67$), History ($80$), Health ($79$), English ($76$). Total: ($456$). Average: ($76$). Rank: ($3$).         * Rizwan: Language ($87$), Mathematics ($70$), Science ($80$), History ($75$), Health ($80$), English ($80$). Total: ($472$). Average: ($78.66$). Rank: ($1$).     * In this context, names and marks are data, while total score, average, and rank constitute information used for teacher decisions.
• Example 2: Visual Arrangement: Individual human figures (labels as data) do not convey a specific meaning until they are properly arranged into a grouping representing "A Family" (information).
• Example 3: National Identity Card (NIC) Analysis:     * An NIC number appears to be just a number (data), but analysis reveals specific information:         * The first two numbers indicate the year of birth.         * The digit representing the gender: Numbers and ranges from $0-4$ denote a male, while numbers and ranges from $5-9$ denote a female.

Information Systems

• Definition of a System: A system is a combination of components that work together to fulfill a task.
• Purpose of an Information System: The goal is to receive data, process it, store it, and provide results (information) when required.
• Functional Components:     * Input: The act of submitting data for processing.     * Processing: The manipulation of data according to commands.     * Output: The resulting information obtained after processing.     * Storage: A critical task within the system where both input and processed data are kept for future use.
• The Computer as an Information System: Computers are considered information systems because they process input data according to commands to provide information in the desired form.
• Real-World Examples of Information Systems:     * Automatic Teller Machine (ATM): Input includes the bank ATM card and keyboard entries. The bank computer system processes this data to output the Account Balance.     * Fingerprint Reader: Used in organizations to record attendance. Processing the fingerprint data outputs the "Time of Arrival" and "Time of Departure."     * QR Code (Quick Response Code): Used in newspapers, magazines, and products. Scanning the code with a smartphone connects the user to internet websites to provide detailed information.     * Business Information Processing: Raw data such as purchases, sales, years ($2013$, $2014$), and names are processed into monthly income reports, comparative profit/loss statements, and used for decision-making regarding promotions in low-income areas.

Characteristics of Quality Information

• Relevancy: Information must be pertinent to the specific requirement. For example, when submitting educational qualifications, submitting every record from Grade $1$ onwards is unnecessary if only the highest qualification is required.
• Completeness: Information must be whole to avoid wrong conclusions. For example, calculating a country's Per Capita Income (PCI) by only surveying a small group is insufficient.
• Accuracy: Information must be correct to prevent harm or errors. For example, if a doctor receives incorrect patient health data, the treatment could be harmful.
• Timeliness: Information must be updated. Today's weather report cannot be used to determine tomorrow's weather accurately.
• Cost Effectiveness: The cost of acquiring information should not exceed the benefit. If an organization spends more to collect information than the profit it generates, it results in a business loss.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

• Communication of Information: The process of exchanging information among different people or systems.
• Definition of ICT: The use of technology in various ways to convert data into information and then to exchange it.

ICT Applications in Government and Education

• e-Government:     * Definition: The use of ICT by the government to communicate with citizens, companies, NGOs, and other governments.     * Examples in Sri Lanka: Official web portal of the government of Sri Lanka (www.gov.lk), Government Information Center, and the Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA).
• ICT in Education:     * Classroom Use: Presentations, videos of experiments, desktop publishing of magazines, educational games (edutainment), and CD-ROM media.     * Anywhere Anytime Learning: Self-study via websites like www.schoolnet.lk, www.nenasala.lk, www.e-thaksalawa.moe.gov.lk, and www.vidumanpetha.com.     * Web Based Training (WBT): Contacting teachers/trainers via the internet to minimize travel time and expenses.     * Teaching Aids: Using animations, audio-visuals, and electronic presentations to simplify difficult subjects.     * Learning Management System (LMS): An internet-linked system used to manage school and higher education systems.         * For Students: Access learning units anytime, upload assignments from home, and participate in forums.         * For Management: Adding quality materials, supervising activities, publishing results, and maintaining teacher/student records.         * For Parents: Monitoring child progress from home and corresponding with officials via e-mail.     * Online Distance Learning: Pursuing higher education globally at low cost. Features include digital libraries, online assignments, and online teacher consultations.

ICT Applications in the Health Sector

• Diagnosis and Treatment Equipment:     * CAT (Computerized Axial Tomography): Creates three-dimensional ($3D$) images of body parts for disease diagnosis.     * MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging): Uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to create digitalized images of internal organs.     * ECG (Electrocardiogram): Records the electrical impulses produced by the heart when pumping blood to monitor heartbeats.     * Cardiac Screening Machine: Displays the physiology and movements inside the heart to diagnose issues like thinning of veins.     * EEG (Electro-encephalography): Monitors brain activities using electrical probes, retrieving data whether the patient is awake or asleep.     * Blood Sugar Testing Machine: Analyzes blood samples to determine glucose levels.     * Blood Pressure Measuring Machine: Worn as a wristband to measure pressure both at rest and during physical activity.
• Telemedicine: The use of ICT to examine or provide healthcare to patients far from a hospital by connecting them to specialists.     * Emergency Telemedicine: Specialist consultation via telecommunication for patients in remote areas, on planes, or on ships.     * Home Health Medicine: Monitoring a patient's condition at home using networked systems to decide when hospitalization is necessary.     * Telesurgery: A doctor performing surgery while consulting with a specialist in a far away location or abroad.     * Medical Teletraining: Training hospital staff via specialist consultation from resource persons in foreign countries.

ICT in Agriculture and Industry

• Farming Technologies:     * Meteorological Devices: Assess weather and rainfall to decide on cultivation and harvesting times.     * Automated Insect Control: Minimizes harmful effects by displaying insect population density and growth on screens.     * Field Condition Measurement: Measures soil fertility and humidity levels.     * Drip Irrigation: Controls water supply based on fed data to minimize waste.     * Automatic Weed Remover: Identifies and removes weeds separately from crops.     * Seedlings Planter (Robotics): Used in large fields to plant seedlings in an orderly manner.     * Greenhouses: Controls light, moisture, and air to protect crops from natural disasters.
• Farm Management:     * RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device): Used for identifying, counting, and locating animals over large areas.     * Automated Milking: Monitors cow health status and milk quality during processing.     * Portable Devices: Laptops, tabs, and smartphones used to monitor market rates and manage salary details.
• Fishing Industry: Underwater sea sensors convey fish concentration data to trawlers via the internet.
• Manufacturing and Business:     * Robotics in Production: Used for car manufacturing, packaging, labeling, and filling bottles. Advantages include $24$-hour service, efficiency, accuracy, and hygiene.     * Video Conferencing: Allows geographically separated communities to have face-to-face meetings, saving time and cost.     * Human Resource Management (HRM): Fingerprint scanners and card readers used to track attendance, prepare salaries, and manage leave records.     * e-Banking: Includes the use of ATMs, inter-banking transactions, and mobile phone utility bill payments.     * Online Shopping (e-Commerce): Allows customers to browse global organizations, pay with credit cards, and receive home delivery services $24$ hours a day.

ICT in Transport and Entertainment

• Transport:     * Road Traffic CCTV: Monitors for accidents and illegal activities to facilitate action.     * Traffic Light Control Systems: Automated systems at road junctions to control vehicle and pedestrian flow.     * Parking Identification Placard: An entrance pass on a windshield that sensors read to automatically open gates for pre-registered vehicles.
• Entertainment:     * Social media for exchanging information with friends/relatives.     * Watching high-definition videos, missed TV programs, or movies via the internet.     * Reading e-books and e-news.     * Digital photography for storing memories on computers.     * Use of computer systems in modern vehicles and ticketing machines in buses.

Demerits and Social Impact of ICT

• Addiction: Excessive use for gaming can lead to neglecting education and health issues (sore eyes, back pain, headache).
• Social and Mental Issues: Building unsuitable friendships on social media or experiencing mental disorders from improper websites.
• Cyber Security: Computer viruses caused by improper internet use.
• Privacy and Legal: Publishing distorted images/videos and violating copyrights.
• Physical Health: Obesity due to lack of exercise and feelings of isolation.

Evolution of the Computer

• Ancient History: The Abacus was invented approximately $5000$ years ago for adding numbers.
• Key Inventions:     * $1642$: Blaise Pascal invented the first mathematical adding machine.     * $1674$: Gottfried Wilhelm Von Leibnitz improved Pascal's machine to perform multiplication and division.     * Joseph Jacquard: Invented a mechanical loom utilizing the Punch Card System.     * Charles Babbage: Developed the Analytical Engine based on concepts of input, process, output, and store. He is known as the "Father of Computing."     * Ada Augusta Lovelace: The first computer programmer; she wrote programs for Babbage's Analytical Engine.     * $1944$: Howard Aiken, with IBM, invented the MARK 1 (Automatic Sequence Control Calculator).
• Generational Phases:     * First Generation ($1940-1956$): Used Vacuum Tubes and Punch Cards. Systems include ENIAC, EDVAC, EDSAC, UNIVAC, IBM $701$. Characterized by high heat, large size, and slow processing.     * Second Generation ($1956-1963$): Used Transistors, Tape, and Floppy Disks. Systems include Honeywell $400$, IBM $7030$, CDC $1604$. Faster and less heat than the first generation.     * Third Generation ($1964-1975$): Used Integrated Circuits (IC), Keyboard, and Mouse. Birth of Operating Systems (OS). Systems include IBM-$360$, $370$, PDP-$8$, PDP-$11$, CDC $6600$.     * Fourth Generation ($1975-1989$): Used LSIC/VLSIC (Microprocessors) and High-capacity hard disks. OS featured Graphical User Interfaces (GUI). Systems include IBM PC and Apple II.     * Fifth Generation ($1989-present$): Uses ULSI technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Features include voice, character, and handwriting recognition. Systems include IBM notebooks and Pentium PCs.